


blood and cherry blossoms

by theflyjar



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: 1950s, Actors, Alternate Universe - 1950s, Alternate Universe - Actors, Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Alternate Universe - Historical, Anxiety, Anxiety Disorder, Blood, Blood and Violence, Corruption, Drinking, Drug Addiction, Drug Use, Filming, Gang Violence, Gangsters, Historical, Human Trafficking, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Morally Ambiguous Character, Organized Crime, Possessive Behavior, Prostitution, Smoking, Smut, mildly unhealthy relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2019-04-13 19:01:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 44,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14118846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theflyjar/pseuds/theflyjar
Summary: There's only so much time before Kris' monopoly over Yixing matches that of the one he has over the city.





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> Yifan's referred to as Kris for the first half of the fic, but it's changed to Yifan as the plot develops.

Yixing’s branded as a rising star, as someone who will rise up the ranks and hurtle into the stratosphere that defines being world-renowned celebrity. His agent has primed him for it by getting only the best. From the water that’s in Yixing’s new refrigerator to the person that dusts powdered makeup onto his cheeks. He reads through scripts and only accepts the ones he truly loves - though, that’s one case where his agent says he shouldn’t be so picky. He’s not established, after all, he can’t get himself the reputation of being a stuck-up diva.

But, humble may as well be Yixing’s middle name. He knows his looks and his amateurish delivery will only get him so far. He has to work hard for the rest.

It’s why he accepts a role from a company that’s slowly going bust, one that struggles to get funding from anywhere and can barely spare any money to pay its workers and stars.

Yixing doesn’t mind too much about that, however, his last film did pretty well and he’s got enough money in the bank to tide him over until the next role from a more flourishing company comes along. In fact, he only took the role as a favour to Lu Han, his closest friend in the business and the other celebrity Yixing’s agent handles. And Lu Han tells him that he’ll give him money if he really needs it. Yixing believes it, too.

So Yixing goes onto the set, he learns his lines and practically lives out of the trailer he’s been provided with. The press follow him around when he leaves the compound they’re working from, all of them wondering why this up-and-coming celebrity has decided to work for the company that’s sinking like a ship. He doesn’t answer any of their questions about whether or not his decision makes sense or if he’s made a rookie mistake.

The newspapers speculate that Yixing thinks he’s good enough to save the company and bring them out of debt, to bring them back into contention for the best stars once more.

Yixing doesn’t care that deeply about it, he knows he can perform his role well and pick something else up after it’s done. He’s not too concerned with the inner workings. He simply wants to complete the favour for his friend and to continue to live out his dream of being on as many silver screens as he can be. It’s all he wishes to do.

He is, however, aware of what’s going on around him and can feel the togetherness on set fraying and creaking under the weight that this film is speculated to be the company’s last pitch at success.

The director, a man in his forties named Huang Bo, is encouraging to Yixing and the rest of the cast, but Yixing feels pressured to do every scene in one take - lest they run out of film and have to buy more of it with their ever-dwindling pocket of money. He likes Huang Bo and he wants to work well for him, so Yixing tries to nail his lines and the director doesn’t seem to mind too much when Yixing does a little ad-libbing when he can’t remember his exact lines and finds words that have the same sentiment instead.

His character is the son of a royal consort, one that schemes and connives to topple his older brother from the throne to claim it for himself. It’s reminiscent of Richard III but is far more sympathetic to the role Yixing’s playing. He’s the downtrodden second child that finds no love in his family members, his brother is the sun that shines on their kingdom and Yixing’s a tiny star that twinkles in the sky.

The script undergoes constant reworking, moulding it to how Yixing is playing his character when the cameras are rolling and Yixing loves it. He’s nurturing his character until the very final moments, to the point where he ascends to the throne to claim the title he feels worthy of. The romance plot is what Yixing struggles with. The prince he’s portraying has numerous trysts and forays into relationships, promising allies that their daughters shall become queens should they help him to the throne. He dislikes on-screen romances, he thinks they’re the worst part of acting, especially when he has to do re-take after re-take to get it right.

Lu Han tells him it’s all part of the package and Yixing guesses that he’s right, surmising that even the most morally dire of characters deserve love. Even if they leave a long string of broken hearts behind them.

Yixing goes through his weekly revised script every Wednesday, so he can adjust himself to the nuances made in his character and he speculates that the final love interest has changed. Huang Bo wants to make things more intriguing for the viewer, which means it shall only be more painful for Yixing to act out when he gets to the set.

Still, he works his hardest to deliver the best performance he can and he thinks Huang Bo is rather impressed when they finally stop doing script run-throughs and put their images to film.

It’s halfway through filming when the pot of money they have to work with dries up, given that wages are dealt with in I-owe-you’s and Huang Bo has to have uncomfortable conversations with the cast about being paid once production is complete. Yixing still has money in his bank, just enough to tide him over until he can work something else, so he doesn’t mind too much.

When Huang Bo tells him to put on a tuxedo and style his hair that Yixing gets a full sense of foreboding. His agent and Lu Han have both told him about nights like these. They’re industry parties that are packed full of investors that have too much money and people who aspire to be greater than they are. It’s a networking event that’s portrayed by the media as an evening of elegance of sophistication. But, Yixing stays by Huang Bo’s side for just long enough to hear the man grovel and use Yixing as part of his marketing material.

It works in their favour as many people have a natural curiosity for new talent, certainly ones that manage to garner media attention in such a way that Yixing has managed to. It’s no wonder Huang Bo chose him out of the rest of the cast to tag along to the party.

As the night goes on, however, and Huang Bo has done his obligatory round and managed to find some interest in what they’re doing, Yixing separates off from the director and finds his seat at the bar.

He orders a Manhattan and sips on it for some time before it’s all gone. It’s only when there’s barely a drop left that he lifts his hand to wave the bartender over that someone comes to sit next to him.

"Put his drinks on my tab," the person says as they get settled.

Yixing turns to look at him and sees their eyes first, they’re even darker than Yixing’s own and they glint where Yixing’s glow. The ring of colour around the pupil is a wonderfully deep burnt umber shade that reminds Yixing’s of the hickory trees he passes to get to his agent’s office.

"Oh, don’t worry, I have the money to pay for myself," Yixing explains, his mouth wearing a smile as he does so, hoping to not offend them.

"But isn’t it nicer to have someone else pay for them?" The man counters and Yixing lets out a little laugh, nodding his head. "Then let’s put your drinks on my tab."

Yixing shrugs his shoulders and turns to look at the bartender mixing his drink in the shiny metal cocktail shaker, the ice in it rattling around. The man doesn’t say anything more and eats the pot of olives that sit on the counter with a wooden toothpick. He doesn’t seem inclined to socialise with any of the other guests, even if they are looking at him and edging toward him. Yixing wonders why that’s the case, but the man really does not seem to care much for it at all.

He doesn’t even order his drink verbally, the man doing Yixing’s cocktail pulls a dusty bottle out from under the counter once Yixing’s glass is refilled. He tips the bottle for the drink and what comes out is an amber liquid that sloshes in the cup a little before it settles. Next, he fills a glass with ice and water to hands that over to the man, too.

"I’m Zhang Yixing," he announces and the man turns his head to look at Yixing once more. Yixing lifts his hand out to initiate a handshake, knowing that another introduction wouldn’t do him any harm.

"I know." The left side of the man’s mouth curls up a little. "Everyone here knows you."

"It appears the same can also be said for you." Yixing raises an eyebrow and gestures subtly with his head to the cluster of people all whispering to one another about the man. The man faces the chattering group for a moment, as if he’s only just noticed that they’re there and Yixing can’t help but giggle a little when the group disperses slightly.

"I guess you’re right," the man hums as he shrugs and looks back to Yixing. "I’m Kris Wu."

At the mere mention of the name, a thousand images and words flit across Yixing’s mind in a whirlwind of newspaper articles and headlines. Of course, people are looking at him, he’s Kris Wu, Yixing thinks to himself. There isn’t a single person in the city, maybe even the wider area and beyond, that doesn’t know who Kris Wu is.

 _‘A terrifying man slicked in grease,’_ is how one article about Kris Wu described him. The criminal that never seems to be guilty of any crimes, no matter the calibre of the offence committed and how sure people are he did it. From petty theft to human trafficking to murder, there’s nothing Kris Wu hasn’t been accused of, but nothing ever sticks. It all slips off his back and he’s left to evolve himself further.

He’s far more handsome than Yixing expected him to be, though. Taller, too. And he’s smiling at Yixing in a way that has his heart racing in both fear and simmering excitement; Yixing’s never met a criminal before and he’s unsure of what to feel.

In a grab for liquid confidence, Yixing finishes his drink as their hands shake and Kris gestures to order him another. And, with fingers that should be trembling but aren’t, Yixing takes the martini glass his third Manhattan has been poured into when it’s full again, he smiles back at the man he should be walking away from.

 

≈≈≈

 

Yixing’s throat is dry and scratchy when he wakes, eyes a little more sensitive to light than usual, which makes him fumble to sit up. When he manages to rest against the bed’s backboard, a glass is pressed to his lips and he opens his mouth up with a little smile. He blinks his eyes open and gulps down half the glass before he moves his head away from it a little.

"Good morning," he grumbles and the person next to him, the only Kris Wu in the city, hums back to him as he puts the glass back down on the cabinet next to the bed.

"How well did you sleep?" Kris asks him and Yixing genuinely feels relaxed, simply a little hungover.

"Great, actually. You?"

"It was pretty good." Kris’ voice rumbles in his chest as he speaks but Yixing can’t seem to bring himself to pay much attention to it when Kris’ hand keeps rubbing up and down his thigh under the duvet.

Even with as many drinks as Yixing had the previous night, he can still remember going home with Kris in his car and encouraging Kris to take him to bed. They’re both naked and the muscles of Yixing’s legs ache a little from being bent so much and there are ends to the red tracks left by nails peeking over Kris’ shoulders.

"I need to get to work, I have to pick up my revised script," he announces whilst he turns his body to fully face the other man’s.

"What time do you need to be there for?" Kris murmurs in an act of pretending that he cares about Yixing’s schedule, he’s too busy pulling Yixing’s thigh around his waist and letting digging his nails into the flesh of Yixing’s backside and upper thighs.

"What’s the time now?"

Kris takes a moment to stop and releases Yixing in order to pick up the wristwatch he has removed and recounts the time, "It’s just gone ten thirty."

Yixing takes the brief interlude in Kris’ touching to stretch out and whine, "I need to be there at noon. I still need to go back to my apartment and change into some fresh clothes."

It takes a few moments for Kris to pull away and put his watch on, appearing disinterested in Yixing when there’s no more chance of sex. He turns his back to Yixing almost completely before saying. "Use my driver, it’ll be almost impossible to get a cab out here and you’ll be late going into the city otherwise."

Knowing an unsubtle hint when he sees one, Yixing starts to gather up his things and find the items of clothing that were hastily divested and thrown to different parts of the room the night before. He finds everything easily, only that his shirt is missing a few buttons here and there, but he figures that they were probably loose in their stitching anyway.

It’s Kris who is ready first and lounging on the bed when Yixing finally gets his trousers buttoned up, he knows he’s being watched as he moves and barely takes any notice of it. He simply goes back to the side of the bed and drinks up the rest of the water in the glass he’d used earlier. He migrates to the bathroom then and turns on the tap for the hot water, he washes his face and wets his hands to run them through his hair in order to look a little more pieced together.

Yixing glances at the toothbrush next to the faucet and considers using it for a moment, only deciding against it when he tells himself he can brush his teeth once he gets back to his apartment.

When Yixing comes back out, Kris is gone. There are only two women in uniforms - maids, Yixing comes to realise - in the room and he scuttles out in pinked embarrassment as they share a look and start whispering. He shoots down the stairs and comes to a stop when he sees a man stood by the door.

"I’ve been told to take you where you need to go," the man explains and Yixing can see that from his black and white smart clothing that he is the driver Kris spoke of.

Yixing nods his head and follows after the man who leads him to a car, one even Yixing’s richest co-stars couldn’t afford and gets into the back of it. He tells the driver his address and then the film studio’s. Yixing sits uncomfortably on the leather seats and it really begins to sink in that he spent the night with the city’s most notorious mobster. He doesn’t recognise the part of the city they’re in, given that they’re not actually around any other buildings. Kris’ house is in the middle of nowhere just beyond the outermost suburbs and Yixing has no idea if they’re moving in or out of the city.

He panics when he realises that the driver may not be taking him home at all as the trees thicken and the morning light can barely break through the canopy above. Yixing closes his eyes as the driver speeds up slightly and grabs onto the seat when, after quite a long while, the car comes to a sudden halt. Yixing’s sure that Kris, for some reason or another, ordered for him to be dealt with in some way. He now knows where Kris lives, after all.

And that thought alone, that quiet idea, has Yixing feeling like he’s going to vomit up the water he had drunk before he’d left the house. He’s sure he’s going to be dragged from the car but then a loud horn blares. It jolts him so much that he opens his eyes and he’s sure he may have wet himself a small bit. He’s greeted with sunlight and a strip of road that they’re trying to join. There are enough other cars around for Yixing to feel a little safer than he had done and he even manages to settle back into his seat as the car goes along.

Despite the journey continuing in silence and there being no apparent threat to Yixing’s life, he’s out of the vehicle like a bullet and into his apartment building. He goes up the five flights of stairs, taking each step two at a time and he hopes Lu Han left the door open for him to go through. It turns out that he’s in luck and the handle turns as he bolts through it as the opening hallway opens up in front of him. Lu Han’s in the kitchen as Yixing dashes down into his bedroom and Lu Han yells to tell him that he has some buttered toast waiting for him on the table.

Yixing showers quickly and changes his clothes before he slinks out to sit at the table with Lu Han. He gulps down the cup of water Lu Han had already set out for him and picks up the toasted bread with his hands. He chomps down on all of it and avoids looking at his best friend because he’s Lu Han, and Lu Han always has questions.

"So, where did you stay last night?" Is the first one that appears and Yixing flicks a glance up at Lu Han.

"Out," he tries to say with his mouth full of toast and he can feel the eye roll Lu Han has just given him in return.

"Out where?"

Yixing shrugs, "I don’t know…"

It’s not even a lie, as he doesn’t exactly know where Kris Wu’s house is - the journey they made at night had Yixing more concerned with his tongue finding its way around Kris’ mouth and less about tracking their way to where he has spent the night. And, well, in the morning, he was simply too terrified to do anything other than squeeze his eyes shut and hope for the best.

"With who?"

"Some guy," Yixing says vaguely, taking another bite of his toast.

Lu Han deflates but still raises an eyebrow, "Not a girl?"

And Yixing smiles inwardly, suddenly happy that he never divulged his _interests_ to Lu Han before. So he tells him confidently that _no_ it was not a girl, it was a guy he met at the bar. It’s clear that the thought doesn’t even cross Lu Han’s mind that maybe the night was spent exactly how Lu Han speculated that it had but simply with a man, not a woman. Yixing continues to eat as Lu Han huffs about being so sure that he was right and then leaves, picking up his jacket and emerging from the building.

Yixing tilts his head when he sees the driver still there, in front of his building with the engine running. He approaches and taps the window, which the driver winds down and looks at him.

"Where now?"

When the driver had said that he was to take Yixing wherever he needs to go, he had thought it meant simply to his apartment and that he could then hail a taxi from there. Still, with a deep breath in and a slightly firmer grip on himself, Yixing got into the back and rattled off the address of the film studio he has his meeting with Huang Bo at. He recognises the route that the driver takes and that relaxes him far more than it should have, he knows the journey well and thinks that should he need to escape, he can.

Again, the drive is quiet with neither Yixing nor the driver saying a word, only the whizzing and whirring of other cars passing them by accents their journey out to the suburb the set is in. Yixing watches the road go by and the long grass at the side of the road, letting himself appreciate moving through the city through the thin glass that fills the window. The summer heat has made everything take on a slightly dusty quality and it's dirtied the clear pane he's looking through, he almost wants it to rain. Though rain always makes his headaches worse and he figures that would only be to the detriment of the parts of him that haven't been bothered by his hangover.

When the car pulls over, most of the cast and crew are outside of the building under the shade of a few large trees that sit at the edges of the driveway. The car piques the interest of many stood around and Yixing takes in a deep breath, he decides to own the looks of curiosity pointed in his direction. There are mutterings when he climbs out of the vehicle and he feels like he's in a scene of The Great Gatsby, as if the car is a bright yellow roofless design - not the shined black that it really is.

It's Huang Bo that intercepts him first, eyes flitting between the car and Yixing. He doesn't ask the question outright, the wonder of why Yixing has turned up in that car. And specifically that car, too. He can hear Kris' name on a few of the extras' lips and his cheeks warm gently. Huang Bo gives him the script for the day and Yixing opens it to the pages marked with little tabs. He takes in the minor changes, settling when he sees a kissing scene has been moved on in the plot, meaning he won't have to do it that day.

"We loaded some iced water into your trailer because it's going to be a record-breaking day," Huang Bo tells him and Yixing responds with a quizzical look. "What I mean to say is that it's going to be hot, so stay cool and hydrated. We don't have time - or money - for reshoots."

"Did we not manage to get any funding last night?" Yixing frowns.

Huang Bo sighs and rubs the side of his face, "Only enough to cover the fees and wages owed to people. Your cheque has been sent to your agent."

"That's a shame," Yixing mutters to himself and he runs a hand through his quickly drying hair. "We better get this show on the road, as they say."

"Yeah, the earlier we start, the better," Huang Bo agrees, a bead of sweat already managing to wiggle its way down his temple and to his jawline. Yixing can see the anxiety and nerves on in his nerves and in the way he grinds his teeth slightly.

Huang Bo leaves him there to talk to the producer and Yixing heads towards hair and makeup, getting a dusting of whatever the stylists think he needs and his glass is constantly topped up with water. They pay extra attention to the sweeps of purple under his eyes and Yixing knows he _looks_ hungover - he certainly feels it, too.

Yixing focuses on learning his lines, repeating them a few times over and having a vague idea of what comes before his parts so he knows when his cues are. The fans in the room are turned on full when Yixing gets to wardrobe and he grimaces, his outfit for the day is the thick wool military uniform his character wears for formal occasions in the film.

The heat in the room is already verging upon being stifling in his simple cotton shirt and slacks, it'll only be worse in the deep blue embellished outfit and under the studio lighting. It clarifies why Huang Bo felt the need to inform Yixing of the water in his dressing area and he's infinitely thankful of Huang Bo's consideration. In what he hopes will be a sign of gratitude, he gathers himself and puts the uniform on, with the help of a wardrobe hand, without a word of complaint.

He's as to how the others are dealing with the warmth and he can see how a few of them are being fanned by runners and gulp down icy water with ease. Yixing, however, finds a slightly cooler corner and keeps going over his lines, cementing them in his head.

It doesn't take long for Huang Bo to call everyone to their positions on set and Yixing stands from where he had crouched, already perspiring gently and dreading the fact that it'll worsen when he steps under the lights. They fuss over placements and the cast talk as the cameras are given a final once-over.

"Okay, everyone," Huang Bo yells to quieten the set, "three, two, one, action."

 

≈≈≈

 

There are rumblings between the other cast members and a few of the staff, Yixing knows it's about him because they give him indiscrete glances whenever they whisper. He knows it's about the car incident, he's aware that people have all come to the conclusion as to who owns the car and he recoils away from talking about it.

What he definitely does not expect is to be called into the office that's been set up for Huang Bo on set to discuss it, either. Yixing actually convinces himself that he's made a mistake because he's never been brought into the office before. The only person that has been in through the whole of the filming process was a sonographer who was fired for injuring one of the actresses. It's why Yixing tries to pull up memories of things he's done wrong in his brain and panics when he can't actually think of anything. That means he's going into the discussion blind, with no prior knowledge of what he can apologise for or contest.

Huang Bo doesn't look too unhappy with him, however. He's jittery and nervous, not stern and frowning, which only serves to throw Yixing off even more. He had no idea what to expect from their conversation, so he warily approaches the seat opposite Huang Bo's desk and lingers behind it. Yixing only sits when Huang Bo gestures for him to do so and he perches on the very edge of it. Like the day when the sun didn't let up on its heat, Huang Bo is sweating - maybe even more so - and Yixing feels his stomach drop slightly. He rings his hands together and he can see the director doing the same across from him.

"I'm sure you're wondering why I've called you in instead of letting you have your lunch with the others," Huang Bo begins and Yixing splays his hands out to curl them into the formal trousers he's been dressed in for the day. "It's a sensitive topic, you see, and based entirely on hearsay... Please don't take any offence if I have jumped to the wrong conclusions here."

Yixing frowns as he stares on, the numbness of confusion clearing his brain of all other thoughts than the question of what's going on around him. He doesn't take his time, in asking, "What exactly do you mean?"

"It's come to my attention that you may be close - or even have a friendship - with someone who is on the more affluent side of life." Huang Bo breaks eye contact and looks at the papers in front of him, his fountain pen is resting with its lid off having been placed down somewhat haphazardly. "Now, I wouldn't ever do this unless I was desperate, but do you think you could get your friend to fund the rest of this film?"

Without much indication to who is being spoken of, Yixing clears his throat. "I don't think I follow what you're saying."

"Some of the staff have noted that the morning after the social evening, you came in a car that's not your own."

It dawns on Yixing then and his face feels like the sun as blood rushes to his cheeks. He knows Huang Bo has read the situation terribly wrong and Yixing doesn't know what he wants more, to be consumed by the ground below him or be fired from the whole project. He doesn't want to think about the night he spent with the city's most prominent mobster, he can remember it well and it still makes him feel embarrassed.

"Sir, I think the nature of that relationship has been taken rather out of context," Yixing attempts to explain.

"Well, Mr Wu was at the party, wasn't he? He was one of the only guests I didn't manage to talk to for the whole night." Yixing nods his head to that, not being able to deny it. "And you arrived in his car the next morning, did you not? Which leads everyone to believe that there's some level of closeness between you and Mr Wu."

"I think the situation has been misread. I simply spent the night with Kris Wu, nothing more than that."

"What do you mean? If you aren't friends, why would you stay overnight?"

Yixing doesn't know what to say at all, he can't think of any kind of excuse - for an actor, he's terrible at lying, especially when put on the spot. So, he gestures with his face and hands, hoping to use the power of suggestion.

Huang Bo's perplexed expression doesn't fill Yixing with hope and he sighs, deflating around the truth he feels he needs to tell.

"I don't know how to explain this to you..."

Suddenly interested, Huang Bo's face drops slightly, "You're not involved with any of his _business,_ are you? You've not gotten yourself into something you can't get out of, have you, Yixing?"

"No, no," Yixing denies, moving his hands in front of him and shaking his head with his eyes widened. "It's nothing to do with that."

"Then, did you..." Huang Bo searches for words again and Yixing feels himself begin to sweat, too, "did you go to an after party with him?"

If Yixing was feeling humorous, he would have answered with a wry _yes_ but he knows he probably shouldn't make light of the situation. "Of sorts, I guess?"

"Is it anything that can get into the papers? I've heard of those elite dinner clubs Mr Wu runs where there are girls from goodness knows where thrown right into the lion's den of this city's scourg-"

"Sir, it was nothing like that, I promise. It was just Mr Wu and I. Together. _All night_." Yixing does yet more gesturing with his hands and Huang Bo still does not understand what Yixing's insinuating.

"What were you doing?"

"I don't know how much of my personal life you're wanting me to expose to you here," Yixing admits and Huang bo leans his arms on the table with a bend at the elbow so he can rest his chin onto his hands. "If you wish for me to tell you everything then both you and I may not be entirely comfortable with the outcomes."

"The more you tell me, the better I can tailor my request for you."

"Mr Wu and I shared a sexual relationship for that night," Yixing blurts out and Huang Bo's arms fall away from the desk, causing his head to jolt and show the full degree of his shock.

"Did I hear you correctly, Yixing?"

"You did," Yixing resonates, a little firmer.

There's a moment of silence between them as Huang Bo tries to make sense of everything and whilst Yixing internally implodes. There's so much tension in the room that Yixing wishes he hadn't said a single thing. Revealing something so intimate, _so taboo,_ to his boss could cost him his job and all future ones, too.

They don't move an inch, either of them, until a smile befalls Huang Bo's face and he claps once. It gives Yixing a fright and the animated appearance of Huang Bo's face makes Yixing feel a certain sense of fear that differs from the rest. It fills him with apprehension and dread, not just nerves.

"Sir?"

"You know what, Yixing? This may actually work all the better for us." Huang Bo stands up from his desk and rummages for a blank notebook behind him and shakes one in victory when he finds one. "Yixing, was your encounter with Kris Wu a, uh, positive one?"

"I guess so? He seemed happy when I woke up."

"Even better," Huang Bo grins. "Now, Yixing, you may have just saved this production."

"I don't think I'm following you."

Huang Bo ignores what he says in favour of asking his own question, one which takes Yixing aback by a great deal, "Do you think you could get close enough to Kris Wu to get him to fund the film?"

"Uh," Yixing blinks blankly, "I really don't know what you're asking of me here."

"Do you think you can use your previous," Huang Bo scrunches his nose up slightly, showing residual distaste for what he's going to imply, "activities with Kris Wu to secure our funding?"

"You want me to blackmail a mobster?" Yixing gapes and then the fear seeps in. "I don't think I ca-"

"No, no, I don't want you to _die_ , Yixing," the man snorts and he flips open the notebook to scribble on it. "I want you to get closer to him, in any way that won't get you killed."

Yixing's throat and mouth go dry, "You want me to fuck Kris Wu until he gives the film the money you need?"

Huang Bo falters slightly and cringes again, though Yixing knows it's not the mention of a physical relationship between two men that does that, it's realisation. "When you put it like that, it sounds barbaric. Think of it as an exchange between us and one of the most lucrative organisations in the country."

"You want me to essentially _whore_ myself out to the leader of one of this country's most violent gangs, sir?

"Sir, I really don't think you've had time to think this through. Do you realise the position you're putting me in? I'm an actor in your production and I really am thankful for this opportunity but I'm not sure that I can get along with this idea."

"Yixing, I'm not asking for you to _engage_ with him, I want you to use that night to get close to him. Strike up a friendship, go to bed with him, do whatever you want - within reason, of course, and only do things that will keep you safe, too - but at least try. We need funding otherwise this _opportunity_ you are so appreciative of will no longer exist."

There are no words Yixing can say and he frowns slightly, discomfort wedging itself deep into his chest.

"Think about what you can do for the rest of the cast and crew. Think about how much this film will be able to provide for them and their families. Yixing," Huang Bo leans forward and clasps Yixing's shoulders in his hands, "you could set these people up for security and save their jobs. You can save this film if you can convince Kris Wu to fund this project. Do you understand me here?"

Yixing knows the director is right and he lowers his shoulders until they're sagging, "I know what you're saying but do _you_ know what you're saying?"

"This is a blessing and I want you to grasp it in your hands, okay?" Huang Bo squeezes his shoulders. "You can make a difference all because you can make a new friend. Think of it like that, okay? And if things go a little faster - or further - think of it as speeding up the process of helping out your friends and colleagues here."

It makes Yixing feel sick but he nods his head cautiously. He only means it to show that he understood what his boss has said but Huang Bo takes it as a sign that he's agreeing to what he's been asked.

"Wonderful," Huang Bo claps again. "I will write up a contract for you. I'll give you a larger cut in the film's percentages for doing this and ask the studio to give you shares because you really are doing the best thing for us by agreeing to this."

Yixing goes to tell Huang Bo that he hasn't agreed but the man stands up, he approaches the door before the words can leave Yixing's mouth.

"Come on, lunch is over, it's time to go back to the set," he gestures for Yixing to leave and, with the weighty feeling of dread and confusion, Yixing does as he's told.

He's not sure what's happened and he's not sure if he's okay with it, but he's certain he's in a situation he'll struggle to tangle himself out of.

 

≈≈≈

 

Lu Han takes the cab with Yixing to the bar he's sure he needs to go to, both of them are dressed up and Yixing's fingers are clammy where they're curled up on his lap. The constant chattering from Lu Han about his new role is what keeps Yixing grounded, loving how Lu Han is taking pride in his latest achievement. But that sense of togetherness dissipates slightly when the taxi pulls up in front of the bar and they both pile out.

"What do you want to drink? A Manhattan?" Lu Han shouts over his shoulder as he makes his way in, leaving Yixing to pay the driver.

"Yeah, sure." Yixing bobs his head as he hands over the money before jogging to keep up with his friend.

It's a bar that Yixing's never been to before but he knows Lu Han frequents it often, that's how Yixing knows the kinds of people who spend time there and he's certain that Kris Wu will be there - or at least have associates that are.

It's dark when they enter, not because of the lighting, but because there's a thick layer of smoke that coats over the bulbs and there are no windows to let light in. It looks both luxury and seedy, depending on who is nearby. When Lu Han sits in a booth, he makes it look like a theatre box for the rich, when the old man touching up a scantily clad girl's leg, it looks like a type of dive bar Yixing's heard about before.

His drink is on the table and Lu Han's eyes scan over the room, scouting out people to talk to and make connections with. Yixing watches as his friend confidently approaches anyone to strike up a conversation with them. It's interesting for Yixing to watch Lu Han charm his way through swathes of people, which Yixing's never been the best at doing and that's when he catches sight of Kris Wu, as Lu Han traipses right in front of him to talk to someone who appears to be a friend.

Kris is stood with a cluster of people, all whispering between each other and then parting to head to different areas of the bar. On a step, Kris looks around the room and Yixing's collar feels slightly hot when they catch eyes. Kris doesn't look particularly amused, or even bothered at all, that Yixing's at the bar. All he does is continue to glance around the faces there and Yixing begins to feel his nerves fray with worry. He fears that his task may not be as easy as Huang Bo thinks it will be.

There are five more minutes of peering around the room before Kris moves off, he stops at the bar to pick up a drink and talk to the bartender for a moment before he busies himself with some of the associates he's clearly there to meet. Yixing's pretty sure one of them is the chief of police but he doesn't concern himself too much with that.

Yixing swallows down his drink and stands up from where he's sat, he weaves through the people until he's at the bar again. He asks for another Manhattan and the bartender gives him a once-over before he starts to gather up the liquors and shake them. Yixing reaches into his pocket for money and waits until he has a glass placed in front of him, he lifts his money up to silently ask how much it'll cost and the man behind the bar shakes his head.

"Your drinks for the night have been handled," he says with a smile and turns to the next customer who taps the wooden surface impatiently with his nails.

"Are you sure?" Yixing leans over to verify and the bartender nods his head, pouring up a glass of straight vodka for the man in front of him that he's serving. Without knowing what to make of it, Yixing smiles and says: "Thanks."

He slinks back to his booth and is slightly surprised to see Kris sat there, appearing to be waiting for him to return. Yixing slides across the seats to sit next to Kris and takes a small sip of his drink before he looks at the man. Before his brain can fully engage, Yixing makes sure to tell him, "I can pay for my own drinks, you know?"

"I thought you liked drinks when they're bought for you?"

"Everyone likes it when they don't have to pay for a luxury but I _can_ afford my own," Yixing counters and Kris smiles a little for a few moments before it disappears.

"So, who did you come with tonight?" Kris nods his head to the two suit jackets piled neatly by the edge of the bench and Yixing feels himself relax. They're chatting casually and Yixing likes that, he reckons he may actually be able to carry through with their plan with minimal hitches if it continues in the same vein. But still, he's reluctant, his whole body on edge at the idea of being in such close proximity to Kris Wu.

"Lu Han." Yixing points him out in the crowd. "He's my best friend and roommate."

"Yeah, I know Lu Han," Kris hums and Yixing looks slightly surprised. "I mean, I don't _know_ him but he's a bit of a party boy, right? Plus, he's an actor, too."

"He does have a reputation of sorts, yes," Yixing mutters as he lifts up his drink and brings it to his lips. He takes a larger gulp this time because he feels Kris' hand sink down and rest on his knee, squeezing it gently.

"Did you come for any particular reason? I've never seen you here before? You struck me as the type to prefer staying at home, to be completely frank, given how low your alcohol tolerance is."

"I finally caved after months of Lu Han's begging to see the nightlife around here, he says it's pretty fun but you're right, I would prefer to stay at home." Yixing rests his back on the chair behind him and closes his eyes for a few seconds before he opened them up again. "It's not as entertaining as I thought it would be here."

"Well, I can offer you an escape from here," Kris leans in to whisper and something in Yixing’s stomach drops, even more so when Kris’ hand creeps up his thigh slightly. Had Yixing not been wary already, he would never have noticed the movement, but it definitely happened. "We can leave whenever you want."

Yixing sucks in a breath and tries to play his role, smiling flirtatiously and holding his drink in front of his mouth, hoping to come across as coy, not scared.

"I’d have to decline that offer, Mr Wu," he says it lightly, hoping to not anger the gangster in his finely tailored suit and ringed fingers.

"And why’s that? I’m sure your friend won’t mind." Both of them look over at Lu Han, sat between two women that are fawning over him and whatever comes out of his mouth.

"It’s nothing to do with Lu Han." Yixing returns his gaze back to Kris. "I don’t go for second helpings unless there’s some kind of transaction."

Yixing knows what it sounds like and enjoys the way Kris blinks as he tries to make sense of what’s been said, taking pleasure in the fleeting sight of a mobster flustering over something Yixing’s said. But, Yixing knows that Kris wouldn't go for what he says. Kris' seemingly usual nonchalance and apparent detachment from the rest of the world gave Yixing a little hope that he could go to Huang Bo and admit his inability to get the funding.

It was the fear and apprehension that kept Yixing's mind under a ray of light. If he was rejected outright, he wouldn't have to go through the awkwardness of begging for money, of essentially selling himself.

"I think I’ve missed something here."

"I’m telling you, Mr Wu, that I don’t fuck again without conditions." Yixing hopes his slightly confident act carries him through, it’s what he needs to happen if he’s to give himself a little more time before he freaks out completely.

"And what conditions are they?"

"I only have sex again if I’m dating the person," he plunges straight in and sees how Kris licks his lips as he considered what’s been said. "One night stands are fine, as long as they only last for one night, anything more than that, I need a guarantee of there being an emotional investment. I don’t like wasting time and I reckon you’re much the same."

Kris pauses and blinks a few times once he realises what Yixing said, he soaks it in and then smiles. He relaxes back into the seat and his hand slides back down to Yixing's knee, which startles the actor into tilting his head towards Kris.

"Okay," Kris tells him. "I'll date you, if that's what you want?"

Yixing's mouth falls open, his hand curls into the bench seat beneath him. "That's not what I meant-"

"What? So you don't want to date me?"

" _That's_ not what I said either." Yixing feels himself digging his own grave as Kris adjusts himself to the situation. His smile curves up at one side, he pins his shoulders back confidently but they hand comfortably, and Yixing feels the dread fully embed itself into his bones.

"Then what did you mean? You didn't say _no_ and you gave me a solution, one I would be more than happy to take up." Kris leans forward and hovers around in front of him. "It sounds to me like you do want to date me but you're just acting coy."

Yixing does not know what to do and gains a sense of relief when someone grabs his arm.

"Xing! Come meet my friends!" He hears Lu Han call and Yixing lets himself get pulled out from his seat, his feet tumble one before the other as he leaves Kris' side. Lu Han turns Yixing's head towards him and looks him in the eyes, "You shouldn't be around him. He's a very dangerous man, Yixing."

Yixing turns his head and glances over his shoulder to see Kris looking - _staring_ \- at him. He meets those eyes straight on and Yixing _knows_ that Kris' expression means that even Lu Han swooping in can't save him. And that drives fear right into the pit of Yixing's stomach.

 

≈≈≈

 

The first time Yixing hears from Kris again, it's whilst he's at work. It's a gift, a small box wrapped up in brown paper that Yixing awkwardly opens in front of the rest of the crew, it comes with a note and a photograph. Yixing simply doesn't know what to make of it, in the box is an _Oyster Perpetual_ , and the picture that he holds between his finger is of a man stood in a snowy backdrop, on the side of what appears to be a mountain.

"A gift, from Edmund Hillary to you, via me."

The penmanship is messy and like small spiders squished into the page, yet the _K_ of the _Kris_ curves and curls ornately in a practised set of strokes.

Yixing would have dropped the box, if he wasn't terrified of doing anything any damage. The Rolex in the case has been to places that Yixing can barely imagine, to the highest peak on Earth, attached to the man who went there first - barely two years before. There's a numbness in Yixing's hands and his coworkers all crowd around him.

They whisper amongst themselves, someone even taking the note from between the tips of Yixing's fingers and that only makes the whispers around them sound even louder. It's awe-inducing for Yixing to be holding the item in his hands. He couldn't imagine how expensive it was or how much it must have meant to its original owner, which makes his hold body quiver slightly.

"Who's it from?" One person questions and he meets the eyes of the person holding the note. They pause a for a moment and their mouth twitches. Yixing knows they're deliberating whether or not to interpret the name on the note and wondering to themselves if they should divulge that information.

Before anyone can say anything, Yixing whips the note back and says, "It's from Kris Wu."

He steps back and walks so fast that he's practically jogging towards his trailer in the cluster of other ones. He hides himself away in there when his manager comes into the space, too, a gentle, middle-aged man called Huang Lei. The first thing he does is sit opposite Yixing and pat his shoulder.

"I trust you know what you're doing," is the only comment he makes about the situation and Yixing bobs his head along with him.

He, too, hopes he knows what he's doing too.

 

≈≈≈

 

Yixing considers getting the watch valued to sell it off, hoping it would fetch enough from an auction for him to be able to fund the production of the film on his own. Still, the more he looks at the wristwatch, the less he wishes to do that. He considers the effort Kris, if not him then the person he delegated the task to, went through in order to have the watch there in Yixing's lap.

Instead, he shoves it under his pillow and stares at it every night before he sleeps, he reads over the note and stares at the photograph, as it hasn't sunk in that he has such an item in his possession. He can almost forget who it came from but then he feels the smoothness of the thick, expensive note paper in his hands, and then there's that moment of stagnant apprehension.

On a Monday, he takes the watch out from beneath his pillow and puts it and its box on the table by the side of his bed. He thinks, rather resolutely at that, that he will sell the item. It’s when he thinks about what Kris does for a living that makes him sure about his decision; Kris lives his life hurting people and ruining lives, stirring corruption into the city and disrupting almost every space he enters. Yixing doesn’t want to be tied too closely to that.

It’s a solution, too. He would simply have to wish and will for the watch to sell for enough to take to Huang Bo and continue with the production. He knows it’s the right decision and he’s fully aware that he can do some good out of all the bad that Kris Wu has done.

However, when the morning comes and Yixing walks out of his building, there’s a car waiting for him. The driver is stood on the pavement by the side of the road, with his cap on his head, and the car behind him is the one Yixing had been dropped off in after staying with Kris for the night. Yixing considers turning and heading down the street, keeping himself out of sight and catching a cab, like always. He doesn’t have much luck, though, as the driver sees him and takes his hat off to bow.

He leans around and opens up the back of the car, maintaining eye contact for Yixing. It’s purposeful, he can tell it just from being stood by the entrance to his apartment block. It’s almost as if the driver knows Yixing would want to slip away and avoid anything to do with Kris.

Not wanting to be rude, Yixing skips towards the car and he slides onto the back seat without saying a word. The driver closes the door behind him and enters the car, sat in front of Yixing and he starts the engine, not breaking the quiet around them. Before pulling away from the curb, the driver reaches over to the seat beside him and hands Yixing a paper bag. It’s not as finely wrapped as the watch had been but it’s the same colour, a pale shade of brown.

Yixing opens up the bag and peeks inside. What he sees is food, breakfast foods of different varieties - although, the bulk of them are pastries - and another small note. He takes the latter out and reads it over, actually finding himself smiling a little when he takes the words in.

_Have a good day - KW_

And, with the weight of the watch in his pocket, Yixing feels a little guilty about thinking of selling it. He looks up at the driver for a few moments and decides that it's better to bite the bullet than let him shoot it. He leans forward until his hands are resting on the seat ahead of him.

"Hi, uh, I'm Yixing," he introduces slowly, smiling as best as he can. He gets a quick glance backwards in the rearview mirror, with a flash of brown irises surrounded by white, Yixing knows he's not going to get a name in return. He skips pleasantries and jumps straight into what he wanted to ask. "So, what's Kris like? As a boss?"

"He's a good boss," is all the driver he says. "Firm but fair."

"I see, I see," he hums. "Do you know anything about the watch Kris gave me?"

"Not much," the driver tells him bluntly, looking at him again to get his point across when he mutters, "I wouldn't be able to tell you, even if I did know anything."

"Oh," Yixing huffs and he settles back into his seat, diving his hand into the bag and pulling out one of the pastries.

He chomps down, somewhat grumpily, on his gifted breakfast, chewing slowly as the trees pass him by each time he stared out through the pane. They stop at junctions every so often, which only makes the time pass more slowly, and Yixing wants to press for more information on Kris Wu. He leaves it, not wanting to anger the driver, but he continually looks at the man in front of him. He hopes his curious expression is more than enough to prise a response of some sort. Or, his bored countenances would stir at least something.

It's actually only when they pull up to the film set that Yixing gets something like a clear answer from the driver.

"Look, I can't say anything but I know the boss put a lot of effort into getting that gift for you. You should appreciate it. He doesn't treat everyone that way."

That's what pushes Yixing to get out of the car slowly, eyes on him in the heat of the morning sun that beats down on the pavement below. His castmates and the other crew workers murmur between themselves whilst Yixing pulls the little breakfast bag out with him to take towards his trailer that's shoved on the other side of the lot.

He practically scurries there and locks the door behind him when he sees Huang Bo and his manager talking to one another. Yixing's thankful that they seem to be deep in conversation to notice him bolting across the flat of the hot concrete, he doesn't want either of them to ask for a funding update because he doesn't want to tell them he's reached almost nowhere; Kris seems to be throwing money at him with the gift he's received but there's no telling how far he can go. He doesn't want to be involved with mobsters.

He wants to act and then go home.

Yixing doesn't want to sell his soul to the proverbial devil. It's really not something he wants to do.

But when he pulls the watch out of his pocket and feels it under his fingertips, the driver's words ringing in his ears, he doesn't think he can sell it. Yixing takes gifts seriously, especially when effort and money have gone into it. Which he can see has happened with what Kris has bought him - be it the watch and the breakfast.

Under it all, Yixing can hear Lu Han saying, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Yixing," in his head and he slips the watch onto his wrist with nerves bubbling in his stomach.

Just as he clips it on, there's a bang at his trailer door and he pulls the cuff of his shirt down to cover the watch and opens it, heart falling straight down when he sees Huang Bo smiling up at him.

"Any new developments?"

Yixing grits his teeth and shakes his head, "I'm sorry."

The hopefulness dissipates from Huang Bo's face as Yixing says those words, which has Yixing's guilt setting in because he knows he's not trying his best to get the funding. He isn't luring Kris into his bed and demanding money for it, he really is not _selling_ himself. He doesn't want to. But he feels like he needs to, if that look on Huang Bo's face is anything to go by.

"We really need to hurry up with this plan, Yixing. Livelihoods and industry reputations are dependent on this, it's important to so many people here."

"I know," Yixing concedes, "I will try harder from now on."

"You really need to amp this up now. We're on a limited timeframe and we need funding soon."

Yixing knows it right, so he clasps his hand around the wrist with the watch on and the fabric bunches up around it.

"I'll do my best, Mr Huang."

 

≈≈≈

 

The driver is there every morning Yixing has to head to the production set, ferrying him across the city, then he's there, too, when Yixing finishes up in the evening, taking Yixing back home. He gets into the routine of it pretty quickly, enjoying not having to pile himself into the back of a clammy cab with a driver who wants to talk endlessly about his children or mistress. It does feel weird, however, that he knows nothing about the driver at all, not even his name.

Maybe a week passes by, Yixing doesn't keep track of the days too much, until he actually sees Kris again. It's outside of Yixing's work, where he leans against the side of the car, cigarette in his hand and his head bowed, hair falling around his face as he takes in drags of the smoke. It feels wrong but there's a spark of something in Yixing's spine. Yixing's brain registers it as excitement, though it could easily be fear, too.

When Yixing gets closer to Kris, he looks up and meets his gaze straight on between the eyes. Yixing smiles naturally and Kris lets the side of his mouth curve upwards slightly before he stands completely upright from the car behind him.

"I hope you had a good day," is how Yixing's greeted, with the car's door opened up for him to climb through and Kris shuts it behind himself as he slides onto the backseat with Yixing. "Hungry?"

Yixing shrugs, even though he's ravenous, "I could do with some food."

"Great, because I'm taking you out for dinner," Kris tells him, still taking puffs from his cigarette.

Yixing doesn't mind the smell of tobacco, not when Lu Han chain-smokes when he's stressed out, which happens at least three times a week. The smoke fills the inside of the car and Yixing's sure it's made things hotter, as his skin begins to bubble with the gentle cool of sweat. He runs his fingers through his hair, cringing when he feels the heat directly from his scalp.

Kris bends forward and picks something up from the floor. it's a glass bottle of water and he gives it straight to Yixing, barely turning fully towards the actor as he passes it over. Yixing takes it nonetheless, thankful for it when he takes a gulp and feels it cool him from the inside out. As much as he dislikes the hotter temperatures, he's always thought there's no better sensation than the first gulp of water after a while under the sunlight. Especially when he can feel the liquid flow down his throat and down into his stomach.

"What kind of food do you want?"

"You didn't think of anything before coming to pick me up?" Yixing tilt's his head to the side and Kris turns his head towards him.

"Coming was a spontaneous decision; I had nothing better to do with my evening."

"Ah, so you came to grace this mere mortal with your presence?" Yixing quips, falling back into the persona he tries to maintain when he's around Kris. "I feel honoured."

"You are hardly a mere mortal, Yixing. You're pretty well-known in the city, in your industry. From what I know, you're going to be the next household name of the nation."

Yixing can't help the warm, pinkness that creeps up his throat and right to his ears at those words. Being praised for his work has always been his favourite thing. "I think you overestimate my standing."

"I don't think I do, I think you're pretending to be humble. But it's okay, we'll go to a restaurant by my house. The pork they cook is to kill for."

Kris laughs at some joke only he seems to understand but Yixing smiles nonetheless, enjoying how the sound is coming out of Kris' mouth. And it's like, despite his cigarette and form-fitting three-piece suit, Kris isn't a mobster at all. He looks like a young businessman, the kind that would have women fawning over him and pouring out from his bed, and that relaxes Yixing. He can fool himself that Kris is some industry hotshot who is trying to leave his mark on Yixing, rather than send stabs of fear through Yixing's body.

Yixing drinks more and purposely moves his eyes to keep his sight fixed on the city moving by him at speed when Kris' hand lands on his knee. It's comfortable gesture and Yixing hates that it is so, as he feels as if Kris is trying to tether him down to the ground, the rings on his hand encrusted with redness and flecks of black. Redness Yixing knows is blood. And, from the polished appearance of Kris, it certainly is not his blood, either.

There's a momentary idea in his mind to spill water over Kris' knuckles, in an effort to "accidentally" wash those signs of pain from Kris' jewellery.

When they reach the boundary of the city, coming to where Yixing doesn't know, it's far quieter with only a few cars going in their direction. The sun is setting, too, which makes it that little bit cooler when Kris opens up the window to toss the butt of his cigarette out onto the road. Yixing watches that gesture, entranced by the confidence of the move.

Kris beckons him closer and Yixing, despite the quiet protests in the back of his head, does. He doesn't even try to turn away or flinch back when Kris' hand rests at his jaw, drawing him into a kiss that tastes so freshly like tobacco that Yixing could fool himself into thinking that he'd been the one smoking. Kris' tongue doesn't wait as it pokes at Yixing's lips and demands for them to be opened, which Yixing tells himself he didn't obey as fast as he really did. But it's addictive, how their tongues meet in a soft warmth that's so different to how the rest of Yixing feels.

Only a small amount of time passes before Yixing places his arms around Kris' neck and draws him those few inches closer. His fingers find Kris' hair, digging them into the dark brown locks that stop well above the man's shirt collar. Yixing tilts himself up until their chests are pressed together, their shirts rubbing against each other with the buttons catching in small clinking sounds.

Kris' hands move down from Yixing's jawline and rest down on his waist, twisting their bodies until Yixing was half on Kris' lap and half on the leather seat. One of Kris' hands slips downwards and squeezes at Yixing's ass and that's when the actor pulls back.

"Nuh-uh," he grunts with a sharp shake of his head. "No sex."

"You really want to stop now?" Kris laughs against Yixing's mouth, taking a few more kisses for himself, which makes a good case for them to continue but Yixing straightens his back.

"I don't fuck people I don't date more than once," Yixing reminds Kris and the mobster groans.

"We're on our way to a date, therefore we are dating, surely?" Kris attempts to argue but Yixing slides back, leaning against the car door behind him.

"Nope, commitment is what gets me going," Yixing snorts easily, building his façade back up into its mask. "I don't like meaningless sex, Mr Wu."

"You liked it the other week, though."

"It was a means to an end, you know how it is." Yixing smiles to himself as he says this, as Kris moves back to his side and places his arm around Yixing's neck, leaving it to dangle there, relaxes in its position. "You should really listen to me when it comes to this."

"You have my ear, I promise," Kris whispers, leaning in to kiss the lobe of Yixing's ear, right where Yixing knows he has a mole.

Given how Yixing should be more apprehensive, much more than he is when he's alone and thinking about Kris, being at the man's side is different. Even with the blood on Kris' rings, Yixing doesn't feel like he could be hurt at any moment, it feels like any other date he's ever been on, flirtatious and carefree.

Kris continues to kiss his ear, sometimes using his tongue to flick against it and other times biting it lightly, and Yixing knows it's to make him feel a little good - or good enough for him to change his mind. But he remains steadfast in his decision, not crumbling to brush of a mouth against his skin, until they come to their destination.

From the outside, the restaurant looks quaint and happy with whitewashed doors and pale blue and red features. It doesn't look too busy, though it is pretty early in the evening for most dinner goers. Yixing lets himself out of the car and follows Kris into the building, staying one step behind until Kris hooks an arm around his waist. It's confident and unashamed, which makes Yixing want to bury himself in Kris' neck to hide away from the looks of the few people that are there.

He concentrates on not tripping over his own feet as they're shown a table and Yixing gets right onto his chair, placing himself down opposite Kris who talks to the waiter in hushed tones. Yixing can only assume the restaurant is one of Kris' "fronts", one of the credible businesses he uses to cover up his more lucrative schemes.

They're brought wine quickly, which the waiter decants and pours for them, the red liquid filling the glass until almost precisely the halfway line and Yixing takes a sip of it. He swallows down more water, too, when he's brought it. He chews on the ice, Kris still talking with the waiter and then a manager.

WIthout ordering a single thing, they're brought the beginning of their meal, a smaller dish of vegetables that are pleasantly spiced and well-cooked. Yixing eats it down happily, enjoying that he doesn't have to make small talk with Kris just yet. It helps him lie to himself that Kris isn't seeing this outing as a date. But then the other people fade away, leaving their table and leaving Yixing to the heavy scrutiny of Kris' eyes.

"Still hot?" Kris queries, starting on his vegetable dish as Yixing finishes yet another glass of water.

"I've not had much to drink today," Yixing explains loosely, with the set having run out of water for the workers to drink, which has left Yixing with a mild headache for the past few days. "Life on set is very much like a desert; dry and toilsome."

"You should make sure you drink more when you're on set. It wouldn't do well for the film to have its lead star falling ill with dehydration." Kris sips his wine, moving comfortably and casually. "Water is even more important than food."

"I'm sure I'll be fine, I don't think its that bad just yet."

"Only if you're sure," Kris mutters and Yixing leans forward on the table, letting this more confident version of himself come to the forefront.

"You're rather concerned about me," Yixing smirks as he rests his chin on the heels of his upturned palms.

"It would be a shame to see talent go to waste."

Yixing stares at Kris for a little while longer before going back to his food, finishing off his plate before Kris gets halfway through his, which leaves him to observe the other man. He takes in Kris' eating mannerisms, how he holds the stem of his wineglass as he takes sips of it one at a time, how he holds his spoon, how he adjusts the napkin on his lap, and how he makes sure to check over Yixing every few mouthfuls. He doesn't rush, even though Yixing has finished his food and is sat there quietly, simply watching him. Kris has the most confidence Yixing has ever seen ooze out of someone before and, through curiosity, Yixing would love to see what else there would be to look at from Kris if he were to scratch the surface. He knew it would be fascinating to find out if that confidence was only a veneer, like Yixing's was, or if it ran straight down into Kris' core.

The waiter appears as soon as Kris places his eating utensils down, he takes away their plates and someone else brings the bigger meat dish of their meal. As Yixing digs into his food, he can sense Kris focusing on him and taking in everything Yixing had done with him. It makes him feel self-conscious, suddenly aware of how loud his chewing is, being sure to keep his mouth shut so the inside of his mouth can't be seen by Kris from where he's sat.

Yixing's only halfway through his food when Kris's foot touches his ankle. At first, he brushes it off as an accident, as he's seen Kris' legs and assumes that he's stretching the length of them out a little. But then the third, fourth and fifth time it happens, it takes Yixing by surprise, The sixth touch, when Kris isn't wearing a shoe on his right foot. His toes edge up Yixing's trouser leg where its risen up slightly and Yixing jolts in his seat, especially since Kris' foot doesn't stop on its ascent up Yixing's calf. It comes to the back of his knee, where Yixing's face rushes with red and he bows head.

"Are you okay?" Kris practically sneers at him, acting out playfully.

"Just peachy," Yixing responds, smiling and continuing on with his dinner as best as he can.

He ignores the foot on his leg, which is rubbing up and down, making the skin under his trouser leg feel so hot that it's almost unbearable. Still, he perseveres until his plate is cleared and taken away by the waiter. They're brought over a Manhattan and a cognac, both of which are placed in the middle of the table and Yixing waits until Kris takes his own before picking up the cocktail.

Yixing enjoys the way the alcohol burns his insides slightly, taking pleasure from it and the way it's ice cold in his glass. He stirs it for a few moments when he puts it down on the table and even if their dinner hasn't been tanked up with conversation, Yixing likes the silence. Plus, the way Kris' leg rests against his, minus the wandering foot that sometimes gets close to Yixing's knee again, it's pleasant.

It's nothing like he would have anticipated from a date with a mobster. Though, he's not really sure what he expected, as he didn't know what he thought dates with gang leaders would ever entail. But, he comes to the conclusion, even if it's a small one, that Kris is still human, even if his lifestyle and occupation may lack elements of humanity.

Kris drinks his cognac slowly, even slower than Yixing gets through his own. It’s only then that they actually begin to talk, with Kris asking Yixing about parts of his life, like what living with Lu Han is like.

"I live on my own, officially. There are usually people around for work and the house help and such, but other than that, it’s just me." Kris explains as he leans back in his chair, looking far more casual than anyone else in the restaurant. "It must be weird living with someone else."

"We both work too much for it to really have too much of an impact, the only times we see each other is if our days off align and if we see each other before we go to bed, or in the mornings - that’s if we aren’t doing any awkward filming sessions."

"Or staying the night at someone else’s place," Kris interjects with a smoothly teasing tone and Yixing lets himself snort.

"Nope, still saw him in the morning then, too," Yixing clarifies whilst his fingers toy with the stem of his cocktail glass, not hiding that’s smiling at what Kris said.

"Well, how about you skip seeing him tonight and see him in the morning?" Kris doesn’t even falter as he makes his proposition and Yixing can practically feel the confidence ebb from Kris into him from across the table.

"I don’t have sex with people I’m not dating," Yixing laughs. "How many times do I have to say it?"

"There’s a lot of room for loopholes there because, technically, we are dating - as this is a date that we are on," Kris explains slowly, sitting up a little more each time he pauses to give more weight to his reasoning. "So, if you were to come back with me, we wouldn’t be breaking any of your rules."

"Going on one date doesn’t mean we are dating, Mr Wu," Yixing contests, mimicking how Kris moved to meet him halfway across the table. His shirt knocks his glass but he pays it no mind. "Dating implies more than one date."

"So next time is when you’ll let me fuck you in my car?"

Yixing ignores the heat that bleeds up from his neck again and smirks, not feeling any of the fear that should have been accenting their interaction, "Maybe."

 

≈≈≈

 

Lu Han is hanging off the small sofa they have in the joint kitchen-diner-lounge area of their apartment when Yixing arrives home from being on set. He’s got a script dangling from one hand and the small decanter of liquor that had been in the apartment since they moved in, in the other hand.

"You know, I don’t think alcohol is conducive for memorizing things," Yixing chuckles as he goes straight to the kitchenette and pours himself a glass of water.

"I hate this project," Lu Han groans, not moving to look at Yixing. "I hate it with a burning passion."

"I thought you were excited about it?" Yixing questions, approaching his best friend and leaning against the wall perpendicular to where Lu Han’s laid.

"That’s the thing, it’s so great that I don’t think I could possibly achieve what people think I can."

It’s not a regular occurrence for Lu Han to have a lapse in confidence, as he often knows he’s the most handsome and talented person in any room he steps into. Yixing steps forward and takes the script from Lu Han’s loose grip and flicks through it.

"Oh, come on! You can cakewalk this. You could deliver this content in your sleep." And Yixing really believes what he’s saying, as Lu Han’s newest role is one for a war film. "You’re just nervous because it’s not a romance film."

"I’ve never not had a romantic interest in a movie before! What am I supposed to fall back on now?!"

Yixing laughs and removes the bottle of alcohol from Lu Han’s hand, still reading the script as he takes it into the kitchen to put back where it’s kept on top of the cupboard. He peruses through the pages of text before reaching Lu Han again and adjusting his body so Yixing can fit onto the seat, too.

"You can do serious acting, Lu Han, I promise you. Don’t think about this film as lacking romance, think of it as having other things, like comradery and action. If you think you can’t work with that then go to the writers and see if they can give you a love interest that’s not actually in the film. Or, just do what I do, act like you’ve created your own backstory for the person you’re portraying."

"You mean build him up by using what can’t be seen, rather than what’s filmed?"

"Basically, yeah."

Lu Han goes quiet for a few moments, only mutely mumbling to himself in the meantime before he sits up and pushes his hands through his hair. "I guess I could try that. It could work."

"But if you can’t do this part, just try your hardest because even your mediocre acting is better than most people’s."

"Thanks, Xing, I really needed to hear that." Lu Han looks like he’s glowing as he smiles again and Yixing rolls his eyes.

"You just said all of that because you wanted me to boost your ego, didn’t you?"

Lu Han mocks up an expression of hurt and presses his hands to his chest, "Me? Pretending to be sad or troubled to have my ego stroked by you? Never."

"You’re terrible."

"Now that dose of your affection has topped up my arrogance reserves," Lu Han says as he stretches himself out, "I can tell you that a package came for you and I put it on your bed."

"A package?" Yixing frowns, as he wasn’t expecting anything to be sent to him.

"Yeah, it was quite big and heavy, too. I had to ask that guy from the second floor to help me carry it up."

"I’ll go check it out," Yixing shrugs. He stands up and goes into his room.

The package is actually a small crate, which confuses Yixing further and he has to go into the kitchen to find something to ply the box open with. When it finally does come away, Yixing can see that there are large glass bottles of water buried in hay. There’s a note, too, and already Yixing knows who it’s from.

When he reads the message, he smiles to himself, not sure if he’s scared of the way his stomach gets a small fluttering feeling in it.

 

_"Don’t let the heat make you sick. - KW"_

 

≈≈≈

 

Yixing shares out the water between the staff who work around him the next time he's on set, which Yixing knows wasn't Kris' intention in sending him water but he would feel bad if he was the only person who had their own little stash. It makes Yixing happy to see the slight difference it makes between his colleagues, as they act a little more spritely as they traipse around their respective domains in the filming lot. It's what Yixing feels he needs and he considers writing a letter, one of thanks, to Kris.

However, after that first day, Yixing doesn't have to put pen to paper, as he sees Kris sat inside his car at the studio's entrance. Yixing doesn't even knock on the window before getting in and he would have loved it if Kris at least flinched at the sudden intrusion. He doesn't, though. He's still awash with confidence, splayed out across the backseat.

Kris beckons him over and Yixing crawls across the passenger seats to sit by his side. Before he can get comfortable against the backrest, Kris pulls Yixing forward until he's perching on Kris' thigh and he makes a soft noise in his throat.

"Well, that's forward," Yixing says in a playful tone and Kris' hands rest on his thighs.

"I thought we could start as I mean for us to go on," Kris tells him easily, as if he already had that response in his arsenal to fire at Yixing.

The engine rumbles into life and Yixing jolts, unintentionally inching his way towards Kris and deeper into his hold. Kris doesn't mind it as they start to drive away, even if Yixing would much prefer to be sat on the seat himself, it doesn't feel so foreign to Yixing to be pressed against Kris' torso.

It really does not take long for Kris to latch his mouth to Yixing's skin, right on the small patch of tender skin beneath his earlobe, where he was slightly sensitive. He rests his hands on Kris' shoulders, curling his fingers into the fabric of his fitted suit and holding himself even closer to the mobster.

The chassis of the car doesn't rock from side to side much. Yixing assumes the driver isn't going as fast as he normally would, taking into regard Yixing's safety whilst he's sat on Kris' lap. It means the engine isn't as loud as it normally is when Yixing's being driven around, instead it's a quiet hum and a gentle vibration. The windows are down, which lets air flow around the car and keep Yixing cool when he should be even warmer than normal.

He's only wearing a linen button up shirt on his upper half and it flaps around with each small gust of wind. Kris doesn't even seem to sweat a single drop, even when clad in his suit with another person on his lap. And Yixing just wishes Kris wasn't so composed all the time. He can only assume it comes with the territory of being the head of such a prolific gang.

Rather easily, Yixing tilts his neck to the side when Kris nudges his jaw with his nose and Yixing relishes in the wet heat of Kris' kisses down his neck. Yixing even undoes the top two buttons of his shirt and he takes the most joy from the sound of approval he gets, as well as the fingers prying his collar open even further. Kris takes a few licks as he nibbles across Yixing's collarbones and all Yixing wants to do is pull his shirt off entirely.

However, he pulls back and pulls his collar back together, "Hey, hey, a second date needs to happen first."

"Come on, just break a few rules," Kris tries to convince him, hands creeping up to untuck Yixing's shirt and feel over his back. "We both know you want to but you're holding back."

"It's called having self-control," Yixing points out and retreats to the other side of the car, putting distance between the two of them that he needs to be able to exercise said self-control. "I don't want to be a toy to people."

Kris stares at him for a few moments, blinking twice in the few minutes he looks for and then he shrugs, "If that's what you want."

"I like being chased, too," Yixing adds in, which has Kris perking up enough to skim his eyes down Yixing's body. "It makes the prize sweeter in the end."

"Really? Because I thought the _prize_ was already pretty sweet, if I remember correctly. I don't think it could get much better."

"You'll have to wait and see then, won't you?" Yixing teases and Kris groans, throwing his head back like Yixing's driving him to insanity. And, well, Yixing can only too easily admit that he likes this power.

"I mean, does the rule only pertain to sex, or is it everything else, too?"

Yixing considers the question, having never really thought into that much depth with it, and then he shrugs as he looks out of the window. He doesn't want to say yes, nor does he want to say no. Everything he wants to unfold between him and Kris could easily happen if he really tried. But, there's still a part of him that remains vocal about who Kris is, the fact that he's Kris Wu, the man with more blood on his hands than in his veins.

But he's finding himself increasingly enjoying the thrill of it, of liking being sent gifts spontaneously and being kissed in the backs of cars like he's truly _wanted._ It's the appeal of what's dangerous, of peeking over the edge of a cliff just to see how far down the drop goes, knowing full well it will terrify you. And that's what Yixing's doing, he's taking those first tentative glances.

He just has to not let himself fall over the edge. And if he can keep himself from doing that, he's sure he'll be fine.

(But, there's a flaw in the plan. Yixing's not afraid of heights or falling, and Kris, with his power and confidence, is the most tempting lure Yixing's ever faced.)

 

≈≈≈

 

Huang Bo is already at Yixing's trailer when he arrives the next morning for an early shooting, the sun isn't even up yet and Yixing can sense the feeling of a terrible day to spread out before him. And he realises that he never expected to experience the dread of coming into work and facing your boss; he's always enjoyed his job so much that he's never felt encroached on by any demands. However, Huang Bo is persistent. He tries to approach Yixing nigh-on daily.

With Huang Bo loitering around somewhere he knows Yixing has to go, it makes Yixing starkly aware that the director has taken to cornering Yixing for answers. So, what he does is simple, he approaches slowly and with a warm smile. Huang Bo takes it as a great sign.

Yixing can see the excitement on the older man's face and even if it does make him feel a little guilty, Yixing keeps his expression as joyful as possible.

His plan is to nip the conversation in the bud before it even unfolds.

"I don't have the money yet but I'm doing my best, I think I'll be close enough soon. I'm sure of it, in fact."

The director freezes for a moment, as if time has stopped completely still for him, until he manages to blink his way out of it and back into the world.

"All I can say is that I'm sorry that it's taking so long but this is Kris Wu we're dealing with, I need to be within a certain circle to be able to make demands." Yixing has no idea if that's true or not, as he's not considered simply asking Kris directly. But, he can only assume that it's true from the tidbits he's heard and seen since coming to know Kris. "I am trying my best to get this through, as this project really means a lot to everyone involved. I want to preserve that for as long as I can, so I promise I'll get the money somehow."

Completely taken aback by Yixing's forthright attitude, he fumbles with the papers he's holding in his hands and his mouth opens up a few times, only to shut straight after.

"Or have there been any changed to the script I need to be aware of?" Yixing naturally widens his eyes slightly as he asks, out of habit of making himself present far more softly.

"Oh," Huang Bo fumbles over his words, "just a few minor ones."

With a wave of Huang Bo's hand, one of the assistant runners appears with a small wad of paper, the revised script for the day detailed behind the cover. Yixing takes it with a polite nod of his head and a thank you, growing a little more excited to see the nuances of what he already knew of the scenes.

"The makeup team will be here," he's assured by the director, who looks at his watch every few moments and Yixing mimics him. Only, the watch that's on his wrist is the one that Kris gave him, which catches the attention of Huang Lei, who pops his head out of the trailer to see where Yixing is.

"What's that on your wrist? It looks pretty expensive," Huang Lei comments airily but Yixing knows that there's a double meaning to what's been said, His manager is querying as to where he got the money to buy himself such an extravagant present.

"Oh, it was a gift." Yixing begins to sweat. "From a friend of mine."

"What's with you? How are so many of your friends able to afford this sort of thing? Especially to give it away?"

He senses Huang Bo's eyes on him, on the silver faced watch on his wrist, and he tugs his shirt to cover it over again. There's a voice in his head that tells him that this is a kind of betrayal, that him having such an expensive gift on his hand - even if the two men he's stood with don't know just _who_ owned the item before Yixing.

Luckily for Yixing, Huang Lei loses interest quickly and turns his attention to Huang Bo instead, striking up a conversation about how one of the doors in Yixing's trailer needs some attention. The three of them all know that there isn't the money to spare in calling someone in to look at it, or to have it replaced, and Yixing feels even worse inside. He expressly told his manager to not say anything about the door, to keep it to himself and that Yixing would deal with it jamming whenever he shut it. The stress in the atmosphere increases that little bit more when Huang Bo confesses that the other actors have had issues with their trailers, that sorting those out have bitten quite a chunk out of their budget already, and Yixing wishes he could tell Huang Lei to not push things.

Most of the time, Yixing likes having a manager that puts him before anyone else, but Yixing really doesn't want to add to Huang Bo's pressures. And he's sure that Huang Lei reminding, with some firmness, too, that Yixing is the biggest name on the film's bill, meaning Yixing should have the best treatment out of everyone there.

Yixing doesn't agree with that all, chiming in to announce: "I don't mind! The door sticks a little, it's not falling off. It's something I can deal with and handle for the rest of the filming period, so don't worry about getting it fixed. Focus on more important things first."

Huang Bo's shoulders relax under his shirt and Yixing smiles at him, hoping to make him feel even better. Huang Lei grumbles, returning back to the trailer and closing the front door behind him.

"We really need that money, Yixing," the director iterates and Yixing bobs his head knowingly. "You need to tell me soon if you can't get it because we'll need to investigate other avenues for funding otherwise."

"I'm really trying my best."

 

≈≈≈

 

Kris is one of the most shameless people Yixing has ever encountered in his life. He doesn't shy away from being openly physical with Yixing in public, not caring that the idea of two men being together is still largely taboo, and Yixing's always in a state of awe whenever he realises this anew. He hooks his arm over Yixing's shoulders, he licks and bites at Yixing's ears whenever it's close enough to Kris' mouth, he isn't afraid to kiss Yixing, either.

It only leaves Yixing to draw the conclusion that it's one of the best things about being one of the most deadly and one of the most powerful people in the city. Kris has everyone under his thumb and he knows it, so he flaunts it. Just like he begins to with Yixing.

After Yixing finishes work, Kris starts to take him to bars, always keeping Yixing's hip held with tight fingers, and it appears to work wonders for Yixing's popularity. People want to know who he is, people want to have their own piece of the person plastered to Kris Wu's side. It's rather overwhelming, even as a celebrity with moderate success and media attention, what being around Kris brings him is on another level.

Yixing can tell that Lu Han wants to comment. But, he never does. He holds his tongue like he's biting on it and that's a foreign feeling when it comes to his best friend. Usually, Lu Han asks and pesters him about everything, instead he leaves it to stew between them.

It's all he can think about when he's alone. And getting money from Kris is all Yixing can focus on when he's at work. What that does is create a situation where Yixing can only relax and comfortably be himself around Kris, something he would never have anticipated.

He senses another side of himself emerge around Kris as well, creating the kind of person who likes to push limits and see how far things can go before they snap. What he chooses to toy with is Kris' ability to keep his hands to himself, to see if he can get Kris to the point of begging for him.

Again, Yixing's surprised by how much self-control Kris really has, even if he always has a comment to hand when Yixing pulls back from teasing him. Then he realises that even ruthlessness needs a degree of control, that in order for someone to instil terror, corruption _and_ prosperity in a city, there's a requirement for controlled havoc and brutality. If there's too much, respect is lost and people lash out in fear. If there's too little of anything, people look elsewhere and power is lost. If you do too much bad and don't outweigh it with good, people despise you. If you give just enough kindness, people think you're benevolent, not simply omnipotent.

And Yixing knows Kris is doing something similar with him. He's keeping him close but not letting him all the way in, he's giving just as much as he's taking, and he's starting to embed into Yixing's life.

There's only so much time before Kris' monopoly over Yixing matches that of the one he has over the city.

 

≈≈≈

 

Lu Han takes Yixing out to a bar, saying he would introduce Yixing to a few of his castmates from his new film and the outfit he picks out for Yixing is one of the best from the wardrobe the share between them. Yixing puts it on, not asking why he's dressing up quite so well to meet a few more actors, but he can sense that there's a reason behind it. The trousers are straight in the leg and a little tighter than Yixing would like. Lu Han says they look great on him, so he doesn't protest about it too much. The silk shirt he's wearing is a slight cream colour and it's one of Yixing's favourites. Plus, it'll be more than enough to keep him cool in the crowded, smoke-filled bars of the city.

Like usual, they get a cab together and Lu Han jitters in his seat, saying that he knows Yixing will love the guys he's befriended.

"They're a good group of guys," he reiterates gently as they step out onto the paving stone slabs that run along the road, right in front of the bar they've arrived at. "Please be talkative."

"You know I will be," Yixing mutters, following behind his best friend closely.

When they step into the heat of the building, Yixing wishes he had pulled his hair away from his forehead, feeling like it's only going to get hotter as the night goes on. Lu Han leads Yixing over to a group of men and a handful of women that are all crowded into a booth, introducing them all individually to Yixing in a circle.

Noen of the names he's told sink in but Yixing smiles despite that, wanting to seem welcoming. They shuffle around to create a space for him on the end, next to the one person he can remember the name of.

"Ronghao, right?" Yixing asks tentatively and he grins when the man nods his head. "I'm Yixing."

"It's nice to finally meet you," Ronghao tells him, handing him a glass filled with beer. "Lu Han talks about you often."

"I think he's talked about you a few times before," Yixing lies smoothly, knowing that Lu Han probably would talk about his colleagues with Yixing if they spent more time together. "He really enjoys working with you guys, especially since he's been a bit apprehensive about how he's going to act his role."

"He's a great actor." Ronghao takes a sip of his own glass of beer. "I don't know what he's so worried about."

"Lu Han's a worrier when it comes to new experiences, especially if there's no one there to hand-hold him through everything." Yixing copies Ronghaos' action of gulping down the beer, which he cringes at, given that it's lukewarm and pretty bitter on his tongue. "He'll nail it, though. So, don't worry."

"Ah, I won't," Ronghao reassures Yixing. "You should see the performances he's putting out, they're brilliant."

"That sounds more like Lu Han," Yixing snorts. "Doing brilliantly but still worrying too much."

"From what he's said, you're just the same," Ronghao slips in and Yixing's eyes widen.

"I wouldn't say that I do brilliantly."

"We were warned that you'd be humble. But, everyone here knows who you are! Which is a credit to your acting skill and probably why you've never heard of anyone else here."

"I don't think how much people know me can just be attributed to my acting proficiency," Yixing snorts into his glass, taking note of a few people in the bar that are looking over at him. "Even if I would like it to be."

"All publicity is good publicity, right?" Ronghao mutters with a shrug and Yixing can't exactly argue against that.

"I guess so," he shrugs.

"It seems like your latest project could do with some attention, too. Word in the industry is that the film is going to go bankrupt soon, is that right?"

Yixing contemplates holding his tongue but Lu Han hadn't said anything about any of his castmates being untrustworthy, so he leans in a little closer to Ronghao and whispers, "It's getting close to that."

Still, as Yixing pulls away from him, he announces, "But, we are working on a solution!"

"I hope it's nothing illegal." Ronghao raises his eyebrows for a moment and Yixing can read between the lines, he knows that he's referring to Yixing being around Kris.

Weirdly enough, Yixing feels himself grow slightly defensive over the idea, even if he can totally understand where Ronghao is coming from with what he said. It seems that Yixing's expression shows how offended he is by the insinuation and Ronghao's quick to speak up again.

"I'm sorry if that was a little insensitive. I've been... I've been baffled by what Lu Han's told me about you because you really don't seem like the kind of person who would associate themselves with criminals. Like Kris Wu. I can't see why you'd get involved with his businesses."

"It's okay, I guess I'm kind of surprised too. But, he's actually pretty thoughtful. Plus, I'm not involved with anything he does, I simply know him on a more personal level."

"You're not involved with anything he does?"

Yixing shakes his head, "Nope. All we do is spend time together a few times a week."

"Oh, that sounds pretty tame," Ronghao comments, sinking back into the backrest of the booth and Yixing shrugs his shoulders. "Lu Han did say you weren't exactly the wild type."

That makes Yixing laugh and soothes the ruffled feeling in his stomach until it's smooth again. "Yeah, wild is not how I would describe myself, at all."

Yixing drinks up his beer and talks with Ronghao for most of their time in that bar, enjoying his company and laughing whenever he's told something funny. It's far easier to talk to Ronghao and most of the others than Yixing thought it would be, which Lu Han seems happy with, as Yixing's rewarded with three Manhattans halfway through the night.

He's rather unsteady on his feet by the time they're on their way to a third bar, giggling at how Lu Han and Ronghao volley teasing statements between each other and clinging to both of them to keep his steps even and straight.

The more Yixing drinks, the more attention he seems to garner from people around him, which he doesn't notice but Lu Han does. It's in that third bar that they shove Yixing into the back of the booth they pick, where it's slightly darker and Yixing can sit without being looked at too much. Yixing constantly offers to get up and pay for drinks, only to be pulled back into the seat he's risen out of by both Lu Han and Ronghao's hands.

Huffing to himself, Yixing leans up against Ronghao's side and rests his chin on Ronghao's shoulder, hoping it will make him feel slightly more grounded as his head spins. He tries to watch everyone else and listen to what they're saying, but he's at the stage of being drunk where sleepiness takes over. He yawns and places more of his weight onto Ronghao's arm, trying to get comfortable there.

He's halfway to falling asleep when he feels the need to go to the bathroom. He grumbles that to Lu Han and everyone moves around to let Yixing out, allowing him to stumble around the back of the room until he can slip into the restrooms and relieve himself.

Yixing splashes his face with water once he's washed his hands, sighing as the cold water shocks him a little more awake. He stands up and uses his sleeves to wipe his face down, getting all the excess water off and drying the skin. It doesn't make him feel much more sober, so he props himself against the wall to give himself a chance to breathe without his eyes going too fuzzy.

"What am I going to do with you, huh?" Someone says and their arms wrap around his waist slightly. Yixing pushes himself into them, thinking it's Lu Han coming to rescue him from his own intoxication, but the person is much too tall.

He doesn't remember Ronghao having that much height on him either.

Craning his neck slightly and slowly, Yixing sees Kris looking down on him and quickly goes back to rest against his chest. It makes him feel like he's completely still, rather than having the dizzy sensation swirl around his head.

"I'm drunk," he says, slurring ever so slightly.

"Yes, you are," Kris agrees, running his hands up Yixing's back. "You shouldn't have had so much."

"But I want to have fun with Lu Han's friends," he mumbles as he turns to press himself closer, not minding just how warm it is in the bathroom. "It means a lot to him."

"You don't have to get drunk for that. None of the people you're with are like this."

Yixing grumbles about how they clearly can handle more alcohol than him and Kris laughs with him.

"Want to come back to my place and sleep it off?"

"Just to sleep?" Yixing mumbles, closing his eyes.

"Yeah, you need to rest before you start feeling sick."

Kris guides him out of the bathroom and the noise makes Yixing feel even worse, as it's louder in the bar than before he went to the toilet. He clings to Kris side, numbness in his feet and legs as he attempts to keep up with the long strides Kris takes. When the slightly cooler air of the world outside of the building greets them, Kris supports Yixing a little more as he talks to someone about bringing the car to where they are.

Yixing doesn't lift his head up to look at anyone, he shuts his eyes and shuffles around until he's closer to the centre of Kris' chest, where he's surrounded by Kris' arms

"You shouldn't drink so much," Kris tells him, like a mother who tells a child they've eaten too many sweets. "It won't do you any good to be in this state."

He only moves again when Kris prompts him to and he's brought into what he assumes to be Kris' car, where he's manoeuvred until he's lying across the seat with his head in Kris' lap. Kris holds onto him and strokes across his cheek.

If Yixing were less drunk, he'd feel softened by the act and revel in it. But, being as intoxicated as he is, all the action does is make him feel sleepier than he already does. The car vibrates as it starts up and begins the journey they're taking. Kris opens the windows up to let the air flow around and even though it chills Yixing's skin, he's appreciative of it. It stops him from sweating on the leather seats and keeps the heat away from Yixing's skin.

When they finally stop, Yixing's brought out by Kris and lifted until his legs are wrapped around Kris' waist and his arms dangle over Kris' shoulders. He's taken upstairs and laid out across a bed after a little bit of walking.

"Can you take your clothes off?" Kris asks him quietly, rising up from Yixing's body to stand upright and Yixing's eyes flutter open.

He tries to sit up and manages to do so after a bit of fumbling on the mattress, he starts with his shirt and undoes the first few buttons as he pulls the silk over his head. He next attempts to unhook the waistband of his trousers and fails to so many times that Kris takes over. Yixing lets Kris pull away his trousers and place them one the floor. He's tucked up in the bed and the window gets opened, as Yixing can hear the leaves of the trees outside rustling in the gentle breeze.

Kris gets into the bed next to him and shifts Yixing's body around until he's on his side, facing away from Kris - who comes up behind him and uses his arm to keep Yixing there with his right hip on the mattress.

"You won't choke if you vomit in your sleep, if we lay like this."

Yixing doesn't care too much for what Kris says, being too busy closing his eyes and willing the dizziness to morph into sleep, and he mumbles a quiet good night to Kris as he drifts off.

 

≈≈≈

 

In the morning, there's a glass of water next to the bed and a maid holding a tray of food. Yixing turns over, the room still dark with only the light coming in from around the curtains to illuminate what Yixing can see. There are intermittent moments of brightness as the wind blows the curtains open a little more through the open window.

When Yixing's sat upright, the maid puts the tray onto his lap and hurries out of the room. Yixing doesn't watch her leave, more focused on the food in front of him and the water he picks up with his right hand. He takes three large gulps before starting on the small dishes he's been given.

"Good morning," Kris greets as he enters the room, making Yixing turn his head to look up at him.

"How do you feel this morning?"

Yixing takes a moment to think about his response before frowning, "Not great."

"I didn't think so."

"I don't know why I drank so much," Yixing groans, swallowing down a couple of pastries with a mouthful of water. "Being _drunk_ drunk is never fun."

"Well, you can't change what happened now, you've simply got to deal with the consequences." Kris puts another cup down on the side, one Yixing didn't realise Kris was holding. "You really shouldn't get drunk like that again. It's a good job I wasn't busy and could come to pick you up."

"You weren't already in the bar?" Yixing stops eating and furrows his brows.

"No," Kris grumbles. "An associate of mine saw you and the state you were in, she called one of my subordinates from the bar's phone and they came to inform me."

"Why?" Yixing tilts his head, rather confused.

"You shouldn't make yourself so vulnerable, especially with people you don't know very well."

Yixing scrunches up his nose, trying to piece together what Kris tells him, yet, he comes up short. "But, I know Lu Han."

"Not Li Ronghao, or anyone else sat around that table."

Yixing pushes his food away from him and lays his hands on his lap, "You know Ronghao?"

"I know of him." Kris waves his hand, trying to dismiss the subject.

"How? I hadn't heard of him before last night..."

Kris twists on his feet and walks towards the curtains that cover the windows furthest away from Yixing. He pulls the drapes open and more light floods in. That window is far enough away that Yixing doesn't flinch too much when the sunlight beams through, but trying to see Kris as anything other than a silhouette is a task. The light that comes in around him is a yellowish white to Yixing's eyes, too difficult to filter through the slight bumps in Kris' hair. Only when Kris turns his head to the side, do Yixing's eyes allow him to make out Kris' profile, before Kris speaks again:

"I make it my business to know the people who may appear in your life."

"You... You, what?"

Even if Yixing hadn't been drunk the night before and rather muddled up, having only been awake for barely ten minutes, he's not sure he would have been able to understand what Kris is saying.

"If you hadn't realised, I enjoy being around you and I want to be with you as much as I can. I don't know exactly what that means for either of us. I've merely taken it upon myself to keep you safe."

Kris says it so easily, with such little gravitas, that Yixing almost accepts it with an, _"Oh, okay."_

But he's still not entirely convinced out of his confusion, "What does that mean?"

Watching as Kris steps away from where he's stood at the edge of the room and approaches Yixing again, only stopping when he's at the foot of the bed.

"You need to eat more."

"I'll eat when you explain what you're saying because I'm lost."

"I'm trying to tell you that I care about you and I don't want anything, or anyone, to harm you. Especially when you don't realise what you're doing and who you're with."

"What's wrong with Ronghao?"

"Nothing, he's totally fine."

"Then what are you talking about?" Yixing's throat dries up with every word he speaks, leaving him to reach out for the water that's beside him. Kris gets there first, however, and he's the one that brings the cup to Yixing's lips, holding his chin and pouring water into Yixing's mouth when he parts his lips.

"I don't want to share you," Kris mutters, stroking the soft yet sensitive skin of Yixing's neck. "So, I wish to keep you to myself and not let anything of any danger come to you."

Later, when Yixing gets home, he finds what Kris said ironic. Kris is the most dangerous thing in Yixing's life. But, what he'd said makes Yixing's heart falter and his cheeks flood with affection because Yixing isn't sure if he's ever been wanted so much by someone before. He likes being coveted and he likes it most when it comes from Kris, who really means it with the intensity in which he says it.

 

≈≈≈

 

Lu Han, however, is another story. He's furious with Yixing from the moment he sees him, screaming at him and making Yixing blink many times over.

"You can't just disappear like that! You went to the bathroom and never came back, Yixing," is what he shouts first. It strikes Yixing like a physical blow, stopping him where he stands in the entryway of their apartment. "Do you have any idea how worried everyone was? You didn't say anything to anyone. Where the hell did you go, Yixing? Where did you go when you were as drunk as you were?"

Yixing looks down at his feet, twitching his fingers at his sides. "I went home with someone."

"Of course you did," Lu Han throws his hands in the air. "Without even considering that I might worry about you? Really?"

"I'm sorry, I was drunk and exhausted." Yixing knows that's not an excuse, even if it was the truth. Lu Han scoffs and shakes his head, grinding his teeth. "I was having a rest and then Kris appea-"

"Kris... And in _Kris Wu?_ What the fuck is wrong with you?" Lu Han roars with a ferocity that Yixing has never come across before and he digs his fingers into his palms. Lu Han knows that being yelled at drives Yixing to tears. Being hungover makes him feel even more tender, too. "What in the world made you leave with him? Don't you know what he's like? He's a freaking mobster. He's _killed_ people. And you go home with him when you're drunk?"

"He was looking out for me... I wasn't in any kind of state to even make it back to the table properly." Yixing tries to defend, voice as watery as his eyes are. "He was looking after me."

"You know what? I kept my mouth shut about the rumours and photos of you with him that would be in the newspapers because I thought maybe it wasn't what it seemed. But, what they say is true, isn't it? That the two of you are..." Lu Han moves his hands around in front of him, trying to allude to something he can't bring himself to say.

Yixing opens his mouth to speak and Lu Han gets the message loud and clear, even if all sounds die in Yixing’s throat.

Lu Han takes a deep gulp on nothing, stumbling unsteadily. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Kris isn't how you think he is, not with me, at least. I promise. He really does just want to look out for me because he cares about me."

Yixing follows after Lu Han as he staggers into their cramped bathroom, he dry wretches into the toilet bowl and Yixing can only watch from the doorway. His eyes are still spilling over with tears, distorting his view of Lu Han and the whole of Yixing's body drains of all kinds of energy. He doesn't know what to do. He understands Lu Han, he really does, but Yixing doesn't know what else Lu Han wants from him.

When Lu Han sits up again, he turns his head to the side and stares at Yixing's feet.

"I can't believe you're some kind of... _hussy..._ for a gangster."

"I'm not... It's not like that." Yixing weaves his fingers together. "I think he really does feel something for me."

"What about you with him?" Lu Han pries, his tone bordering on being rude.

"I think I'm on my way to being there." Yixing rests against the doorframe behind him and slides down it, sitting on the floor with his legs bent upwards, half on the tiles and half on the wooden flooring. "I don't know... I just feel so comfortable with him and I want to be around him when we aren't together."

"Fuck," Lu Han grits. "Of all people, you pick _him?_ The one _guy_ in the city who wouldn't blink before killing anyone that gets in the way of something he wants."

"I know," Yixing laughs humorlessly as he wipes his eyes. "But I don't think he's as bad as people say he is."

Yixing knows he's lying, that there are parts of Kris he's not seen, that he's not been privy to. It's nice to hope, though, he thinks - and even better to soothe the person he keeps closest to him in the world. Lu Han crawls across the floor to Yixing's side and lays his head against his side.

It's quiet in the apartment until Yixing tilts towards Lu Han slightly. "And you're okay with it? With me being with a man like that?"

"I don't know." Yixing knows Lu Han is telling the truth, which makes those words hurt when they sink into his heart. "I also don't know what I'd do without you around, so I guess I'll just have to adjust, or whatever."

"I'm sorry for making you worried... I wasn't thinking," Yixing whispers and Lu Han hugs him loosely. From that action alone, Yixing knows he's forgiven, but what he says instils him with a small amount of fear.

If he's comfortable enough with Kris to go home with him without much argument, to be in a position where he's secure enough to _not think_ , he may be in a little deeper than he thinks he is.


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unedited.
> 
> Please note, there's an argument scene that includes some degree of violence between Yifan and Yixing in this part, so if you think this will upset you, don't read it. 
> 
> There's explicit drug use, prostitution and human trafficking in this section. There's also an allusion to an anxiety disorder at the end, so again, if it'll upset you, don't push yourself. 
> 
> Thank you.
> 
> (Warnings are all in the tags, too.)

There's a break from filming, an unplanned one, because there's so little money that they can't afford the lot the set's on. Yixing worries that he's being too slow, that he's going to be the reason why the production collapses in on itself. He could be the reason why Huang Bo's reputation and career slips away from him at a time when it should be his heyday.

Laid across the living room floor, a record spinning in the player and all the windows open to let the summer heat out, Yixing confesses his original intentions of getting close to Kris to Lu Han. It's their first proper talk since Yixing came back from staying at Kris' house and Yixing can see that it drives Lu Han's nerves to the edge.

Lu Han doesn't move his eyes from Yixing the entire time he's talking, his expression showing nothing but anxiety over the situation Yixing's drawn himself into.

"Fuck, Yixing." The way Lu Han says it rekindles that sense of fear in Yixing's body. "Kris can't ever find out about any of this... He'll kill you if he knows."

Yixing, however, keeps his gaze on the ceiling and the patterns the setting sun is casting on it. "I know... But, it's more than that now anyway. I'm really starting to get involved with him, emotionally. It's not really pretending anymore."

"But has he said he'd do it yet?"

Not exactly following Lu Han's train of thought, Yixing asks, "Do what?"

"Give you the money."

Yixing shakes his head and Lu Han sighs.

"Do you think he would?" Is the next question that appears between them.

"I think so. If I said it was important to me, I think he would."

"What's stopping you then?"

"I don't want to use him," Yixing finally admits to himself. "If these feelings I'm starting to develop for him are real, I don't want to taint them with this."

"But, you're in a different position now, Xing. _You could lose your job._ And, if you care about each other like this, it wouldn't be lying anymore. You do really need his help and if he doesn't want anything in return, what's wrong with it?"

"I just can't shake the idea that I'd be betraying him if I asked him."

"You wouldn't be. If he cares about how your life goes, like you're convinced he is, then it'll be okay."

Yixing can't dispute that, so he mulls over it rather than replying.

"And, if worst comes to worst," Lu Han thinks aloud, "you can just act. Play the role. Don't be _you_ when you ask. You’re playing a character that’s manipulative for your film, right? Just embody him and you’ll be able to do it."

Out of everything his best friend says to him, that's the part that plays over and over in Yixing's head before he sees Kris the next day. Lu Han writes some lines for him before they go to bed, ones he knows Yixing can deliver with authenticity and he mutters them to himself as he's driven to wherever Kris is.

They go out of the city, which gives Yixing even more time than he thought he would have. He's taken an hour further away to normal, to some kind of golf club that Yixing's seen on a magazine before, and Yixing can almost smell the money coming from the people who walk around him when the driver opens the door to let him out. He follows quietly behind, not looking up from the ground as they weave through the crowds of people.

The flooring of the reception area is polished marble and pale white in colour. They don't approach the desk, though, they go straight through to an outdoor area that's private, walled off from the other guests.

Kris is unmissable, stretched along a sun lounger in white shorts, a glass of whisky and a smoking cigar next to him on a small table. There's music playing from inside a small sunhouse and Yixing drifts over to Kris' side when the driver indicates that he should go out.

Yixing isn't even stood at Kris' side yet before Kris is smiling and holding out his hand for him. There are sunglasses perched on Kris' nose, so Yixing can't tell if his eyes are open, but Yixing suspects that they're shut.

"You better not be wearing any clothes." Kris grins and Yixing can't help the smile on his lips as he rolls his eyes.

"Tough luck, you didn't say where I'd be brought, so I'm definitely fully clothed," Yixing informs him and Kris fakes a frown.

"Bummer... And here I thought I could finally get you out of your clothes again."

Kris tugs on Yixing's hand until he's guided down to sit on Kris' lap, the sun heating up Yixing's hair and making his clothes rather uncomfortable. He can see Kris' large back tattoo curling around onto the left of his ribs, resisting the urge to follow the patterns around with his fingers. It doesn't seem that Kris cares much about Yixing's state of dress or where yixing's hands are - and aren't - on his body that as he sits up, taking Yixing's jaw into his hand and Yixing's lips between his own.

All thoughts of saying anything to Kris about money slip away from Yixing's mind as he's pulled down until his chest is laid on Kris’.

"I like that you come whenever I call for you," Kris tells Yixing, their lips still brushing together. "It's like having a puppy."

"I'm not a puppy, Kris," Yixing huffs, letting Kris pull the cotton shirt he's wearing out from where it's tucked into his trousers.

"Call me Yifan," Kris says with a degree of seriousness Yixing isn't anticipating. "I'd like you to call me by my real name."

Yixing doesn't say anything about Kris being a fake name and reminds himself to call him Yifan from now on, enjoying how it feels to know something a little more intimate about the gangster.

"Okay, Yifan," he whispers and Yifan smiles, finally opening his eyes.

"Now that's sorted, let's get you out of these clothes and into something more comfortable, hmm?"

Yixing nods his head and Yifan pulls the button up shirt up over Yixing's head, Yixing tends to his trousers just before Yifan starts laving Yixing's chest in kisses. He even gives a few licks, all of which Yixing squeaks at, which makes him laugh.

"There are some shorts inside, on the indoor lounger."

Yixing slips back from Yifan's thighs until his feet touch the floor and he can stand. He shimmies out of his trousers and he can sense Yifan's eyes on him, watching him intently. With the sun easy to blame for how pink his cheeks are from being observed, he walks into the sun house and finds the shorts laid out waiting for him. They're laid on the bag from the store they were bought from, so he knows they're brand new and he pulls them on.

They're a little shorter than he probably would have bought for himself. Though, he guesses, it's Yifan's doing, wanting to see as much of Yixing's skin as possible without making Yixing too uncomfortable. When he walks out, he gets a little wolf whistle from Yifan who's now smoking the cigar he had left on a plate when Yixing arrived.

"Stop that," Yixing whines but Yifan only does it again as he approaches, causing him to laugh.

"They look good on you," Yifan hums, staring unashamedly. "A perfect fit."

"They're pretty tight, Yifan."

"Like I said," Yifan smiles, "it's a perfect fit."

"You're a sleaze," Yixing declares and Yifan shrugs his shoulders.

"I never said I wasn't."

Yixing sits back down on Yifan's lap and instantly Yifan's hand that isn't holding onto his cigar is running up and down Yixing's thigh. It's cooler in the shorts but the sun still warms his back more than Yixing would like. He stays there, though, enjoying how it feels and smelling the slightly bitter tang to the smoke that's blown between them.

"I didn't think I'd be able to see you today." Yifan slips his sunglasses to the top of his head, not needing them now Yixing's shadow casts onto his face. "I thought you'd be working."

A weight of dread sinks down in Yixing's stomach and his hands go slightly sweaty where they're resting on Yifan's flat stomach. "Filming has been postponed for the foreseeable future."

"Huh? Why? Is something wrong?"

Yixing decides that it's now or never, that he may as well rip off the bandaid and get it all over with... He looks down at his own hands and chews on his lip.

"They've run out of money." Yixing shrugs, trying to be nonchalant. He pouts slightly, like he practiced, "I don't think the film will ever get done at this rate."

"Really?"

Yifan puts his cigar down and props himself up on his elbow, he's looking at Yixing in genuine care and there's a pang of guilt that ripples through Yixing. But, strangely, there's pride, too. Yifan could actually believe him.

"It's actually pretty upsetting. I've put so much effort into this movie and into this role, that's what's heartbreaking. But, we can't get the money from anywhere... No one will believe in Huang Bo's project or see his vision, so no one will give anything. It could be the end of so many people's careers and, you know, I feel guilty for it. Because maybe they didn't invest because of _me_ , then all of this would be my fau--"

"I'll do it," Yifan interrupts, laying himself back. "How ever much you need, I'll write you a cheque."

Yixing freezes, a pregnant pause coming from Yixing's shock and Yifan doesn't stop looking at him, he doesn't stop smoking his cigar either.

"What?"

"I said, I would pay for your film to be made." This time Yifan shrugs. "If it means so much to you, of course I would fund it."

The relief that washes over Yixing's body takes it time, so much so that it doesn't even feel like a _wash_ , it's more like a series of drips and dribbles that becomes a stream.

"Really?" He leans forward and Yifan slowly grins at him.

"Really."

Yixing squeals and kisses Yifan directly on the mouth, open mouthed and closed-eyed. Yifan's response is immediate, one of his hands rubbing up Yixing's side and down to the fabric of Yixing's shorts. He tastes exactly like his cigar with a hint of alcohol, which Yixing finds that he rather likes the taste of.

He lets his lips slip away from Yifan's mouth and down Yifan's cheek, to his neck where he roams around, getting a taste of Yifan's skin. Yixing feels Yifan's chest relax beneath him and he groans a few times before he tilts his head to the side.

"If I knew money would make you this happy," Yifan comments in a groan, "I would have given you it sooner."

"It's not the money," Yixing replies between kisses. "It's the gesture. It means a lot to me. I want to thank you."

"Does this _'thank you'_ include you not being in those shorts anymore?" Yifan takes up putting kisses on Yixing's neck, sucking and nibbling on it, which has Yixing begin to moan gently into the air.

"Most definitely," Yixing promises, playing with the button's on Yifan's shorts. "I think that's definitely what you deserve."

Yifan doesn't waste much time before he gets Yixing out of what he's wearing, and Yixing can't stop smiling as it happens. Only feeling even more delighted when he's beneath Yifan, naked and groaning over the sound of the record meeting its end on the player inside of the sunhouse.

 

≈≈≈

 

Huang Bo sits behind his desk, grinning from ear to ear as Yifan sits in front of him, next to Yixing, signing a cheque for an obscene amount of money. Yixing's fingers are clammy where they are between Yifan's and he has to ignore the way Huang Bo looks at their joined hands with slight disgust. Yifan doesn't seem to notice, or maybe he simply doesn't care, but everything about the situation makes Yixing uncomfortable to the point where he holds his breath.

Yixing mentally begs with Huang Bo to not mention anything about their arrangement.

He can almost kiss the ground when they leave the building and got into Yifan's car, thankful to the fact that nothing was said about anything that could possibly incriminate Yixing to Yifan. It helps him relax into Yifan's side as they drive, Yifan actually behind the wheel of a car Yixing hasn’t seen before.

"Are we going back to your place?" Yifan asks, rolling away from where they were parked, Yixing tucked under his arm over the small gap between their bodies.

"Yeah, sure," Yixing mumbles, closing his eyes as the radio plays through the car.

Yifan doesn't even have to ask for directions as he drives towards Yixing's apartment, knowing his way around the city and directly to the front of Yixing's building.

What Yixing does not expect is for Yifan to park up and get out, walking next to Yixing to the main entrance and into the building. He trails after Yixing, going up the stairs and waiting outside of Yixing's door as he opened it up.

"Lu Han?" Yixing calls through and when he receives no response, he steps in with Yifan's body close behind his.

With a few tentative glances behind him to see Yifan's reaction to where he lives, Yixing shifts awkwardly around as he picks up a few things he and Lu Han had left lying around in the shared areas of the apartment. Like he expects, Yifan doesn't appear to like where he lives and perches on the edge of the sofa.

"You hate it, right?" Yixing asks, twiddling his fingers together.

"I mean," Yifan starts, "it's not what I expected..."

"In a bad way?"

Yifan doesn't answer directly, which Yixing takes as much of a response as any. He doesn't know what he can do to fix what Yifan sees because, well, Yixing sees it too. It's cheap and badly put together, there's mould growing in some of the corners of the room, and there's a lonely record player pushed against the wall.

Yixing gets them both cups of water and Yifan still doesn't look any more comfortable than he did when arrived. He chews his cheek and tilts his head, deciding to put the record on to help ease some of the tension around them. Yifan doesn't make things any easier for Yixing by not making much more of an effort to interact with Yixing's apartment in anything other than distaste. Instead, Yifan pulls out a cigarette and smokes it, using Lu Han's ashtray to tap the grey dust from the end of it once he's taken a puff.

"Come here," Yifan says in the tone of a demand and Yixing steps until he's right in front of Yifan. "Give me a kiss."

Yixing does as Yifan wants, running his fingers through Yifan's hair and taking his tongue into Yifan's mouth. It's a delicate kiss, especially compared to the kinds they usually have, and Yifan pulls Yixing down next to him. That seems to be all Yifan needs to press himself into the back of the sofa and, in turn, it relaxes Yixing.

All they do whilst Yifan's there is kiss whilst Yifan smokes through a few cigarettes, they don't talk much because Yixing can sense that Yifan's thinking about something. He likes it, though, Yixing finds. It's the first time that Yixing gets the impression that they're doing something normal. They're not in bars, restaurants, golf clubs, the back of a car, or Yifan's bedroom. They're in a small, rundown lounge in a cramped apartment, pressed against one another whilst music drifts around the apartment.

He finds himself enjoying it. Yet, Yifan remains unreadable. Each time Yixing takes a peek up at him, he's got a slight frown on his face, and the only comfort he has in knowing it's not because of him is Yifan's hand rubbing his hip.

"I need to go to work," Yifan tells him when the clock reads ten minute to six.

"Oh?" Yixing sits up and looks across at Yifan. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I've just got to complete a few deals tonight for some stuff that's happening in a few weeks." Yifan stands up and puts out the half smoked cigarette quickly. He brushes down his arms and legs, bends down to Yixing and kisses his forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow, I'll take you somewhere nice for dinner, so dress up. I'll introduce you to some friends of mine."

"Some friends?" Yixing queries and Yifan kisses his dimple gently.

"Yeah, I do have those, Xing," Yifan laughs easily. "I'll see myself out."

Yifan does as he says he will, Yixing simply watches him leave before he splays himself out across the sofa where Yifan had once been sat. Around two minutes later, Yixing hears his name be called through the apartment. It's not Yifan, it's Lu Han.

"I bumped into your boyfriend on my way up," Lu Han says as he takes off his shoes and throws himself down basically on top of Yixing. "He said hello."

Yixing hums to show that he heard but doesn't have anything to say in return. Lu Han, as always, has something to ply their conversations with and he does so easily.

"I didn't realise you were bringing him over now..."

"It was the first time," Yixing's quick to say in return. "I don't think it'll happen again any time soon."

"Why's that?"

"He doesn't like it much here." Yixing sighs and pushes Lu Han off him, feeling too hot with a body layered completely over his.

Lu Han snorts, "Xing, _we_ don't even like it here. You can't expect a rich man to enjoy it."

When he thinks of it like that, Yixing starts to laugh, comparing Yifan's grandiose, lavishly furnished house with their tiny shoebox apartment. Lu Han chortles along with him, getting himself comfortable on the seat around where Yixing's sprawled.

"I take it things went well today, if he was here?"

"Yeah," Yixing nods. "He handed over the cheque, so all we've got to do is wait for it to cash and filming can start up again."

"That's great news! I'm happy for you! You'll finally be employed again."

"Shut up."

 

≈≈≈

 

Even though Yifan told him to dress up, Yifan still has a suit sent to Yixing's apartment for him to wear to meet Yifan's friends. When he looks at it and sees a silk shirt accompanied by a black silt bowtie. It drives a wedge of anticipation through his heart that only worsens as he puts the outfit on. Lu Han styles his hair into a neat wave and Yixing can only hope that he looks respectable enough for Yifan and the people he associates himself with. The last thing Yixing wants to do is make a fool out of himself and Yifan, given the weight that the name _Kris Wu_ carries,

The car appears outside of Yixing's house at seven p.m. exactly, calling his attention with a sharp beep on its horn and he dashes down the stairs. By the time he gets outside, Yifan is stood waiting for him on the street.

When he gets closer, he realises that his and Yifan's suits are identical, matching completely from colour to design to material. The only difference is that Yifan has cufflinks on. Yixing looks down at his arm rather shyly, feeling like he should have some on. Yifan notices and reaches into his own pocket, he pulls a set out and Yixing barely gets to look at them before Yifan's feeding them through the fabric around Yixing's wrists to keep the seam shut.

Once Yifan is finished, he steps back and opens the car door for Yixing. They both climb into the back and whilst Yifan is closing them into the vehicle, Yixing takes a chance to glance at the cufflinks put on him.

On each side is a silver _KW_ that flows together in curved calligraphy.

Yixing knows what exactly what it is. It's Yifan proving his hold on Yixing, claiming ownership of him in a rather public way. Yifan's own cufflinks are dragons, they swirl ornately and are an outward symbol of power.

It dawns on Yixing that he's attending the party as a possession of Yifan's, as something to be admired that belongs to Yifan. As something that should be at Yifan's side.

Well aware that he should hate that Yifan's doing that, Yixing loves it anyway.

 

≈≈≈

 

It's a dinner party at someone's house, a soiree of the city's elite mingled in with the city's most powerful. Yifan commands the room when he walks in, confidently holding his head high, one arm drawing Yixing into his body as they move with purpose through the sea of people. There are men and women alike, all dressed up in their finery, some of which Yixing recognise from his own industry.

They skip everyone like that, however, and head straight for the table at the far end of the room. Yifan's sat at the head of the table, his name card showing where he's to go, and Yixing's placed beside him, his own card reading, _"Zhang Yixing - Kris Wu"._ Again, it's there, the claim Yifan has over him, the one that leaves Yixing's stomach feeling warm and satisfied.

He gets a quick kiss before they're seated by waiters, becoming the only two people in the room that are sat down. Still, people migrate over towards them, some chancing a conversation with Yifan, only to discover that he's too busy tonguing Yixing's ear to notice their presence. It makes Yixing feel powerful to be the only person in the room that is Yifan's sole focus. He grows giddy with it, giggling when Yifan breathes on his neck and runs his thumb over Yixing's lips.

"Kris, dinner will be served soon," someone announces loudly enough to draw Yixing's attention to it. "You don't have to eat your date."

Yifan does leave Yixing's ear alone then, turning his neck to look at the man that greeted them. Yixing thinks the man _looks_ rich - not quite on Yifan's level, but verging on it. In fact, Yifan stands to shake the man's hand, even drawing him into a quick hug before turning back to Yixing and holding out his palm for Yixing to take. Again, as soon as Yixing is stood, he's pulled to Yifan's body and introduced like that.

"Yixing, this is my closest friend, Kevin Shin," Yifan whispers with his head craned downwards, nipping Yixing's earlobe with his teeth. He stands more upright and looks back to Kevin, "And, Kevin, this is my boyfriend, Yixing."

Hearing Yifan put a label to what they are is comforting for Yixing to hear, especially since he didn't really know what they were. And he was far too afraid to ask. Nevertheless, hearing it straight from Yifan's mouth was enough for Yixing to feel at ease with how he would introduce himself to others.

Kevin takes Yixing's hand and kisses his knuckles gently. When Kevin speaks again, it isn't quite what Yixing expects, as he anticipates to receive a simple, _"Pleasure to meet you."_

Instead, what he gets is, "You're a beautiful creature," whispered to the back of his hand, where Kevin kisses it again.

The hand Yifan has around Yixing's waist tightens whilst the other takes the hand in Kevin's by the wrist and brought down to Yixing's side. It's clear from the action that Yifan meant it when he said he doesn't want to share Yixing.

"Come on, Kris, you know I wouldn't make a move on what's yours," Kevin clarifies, not scared of Yifan's reaction a single bit. A waitress walks past them and Kevin's eyes follow her, giving room for him to slip out a: "I don't like men all that much either."

The second comment is what puts Yifan at ease, knowing he won't have a contest with his best friend when it comes to Yixing. Howbeit, Yifan still makes a show of kissing Yixing, grabbing him by the jaw and hips to ensure Yixing's completely drawn to his body, encapsulated by it. The whole sensuality of it has Yixing feeling light in the head, enjoying every ounce of Yifan's possessiveness over him.

Time goes slowly between meeting people once Kevin moves off, Yifan naming person after person in a way that Yixing doesn't stand any chance to remember them all. It's those who Yifan names Yixing to first that Yixing pays the most attention to, seeing that if Yifan thinks showing Yixing first is paramount then there must be something behind it. Doing that turns out to be the best thing for him to do, as the people who are sat on their table are the ones Yixing paid attention to.

Yifan doesn't let go of Yixing, not for a moment, making a display of adorning Yixing with kisses and touches to his neck and face. It's something Yixing takes the most enjoyment from, feeling far more comfortable at Yifan's side than when he drifts away slightly.

When they're properly seated, there's a waiter who is covering Yixing and two more people to his left, in the opposite direction to Yifan. Yixing doesn't mind this, given that the way they're sat means Yifan can still keep a hand on Yixing's thigh or around his shoulders. The waiter introduces himself to Yixing, saying that he's there to make Yixing's evening as enjoyable as possible.

His name's Longyuan and he is as attentive as promised. Yixing doesn't even have to put his own napkin on his lap, which Longyuan doesn't appear to do for anyone else. Yixing assumes it's at the command of the person hosting the party for Yifan's "plus one" to be made comfortable at every moment in the evening. He's even brought over drinks, though, he sips them slowly to not let himself get too drunk.

Yixing knows it bothers Yifan, how much attention he's receiving, purely from the way Yifan crowds around him as soon as the waiter comes near. Yifan's like a cat marking its territory, using his mouth to show that Yixing's his in front of the dinner guests they're surrounded by. Longyuan still tries, in earnest, to do what he can for Yixing.

He serves Yixing's food, even feeding Yixing some of the things he's not quite sure of to gauge whether or not Yixing likes it. Yifan grow evermore agitated with it. Over everything, yixing's simply glad that Yifan doesn't cause a scene, not like Yixing expects. He simmers in silence as Yixing thinks of ways to make Longyuan pay attention to someone else.

But, the order he's been given to take care of Yixing seems to trump all else. Even Yifan's glowering stare at him.

Part of Yixing admires how Longyuan can ignore how the mobster glares at him, as he'd most certainly know just who Yifan is and how much power he wields over the room they're in. He can see how Longyuan is perspiring, how sweat dribbles down the side of his cheek and the way his hands tremble slightly when Yifan's looking over at them.

The only reprieve the waiter gets is when Yifan turns to his other side to talk with Kevin, the both of them talking too quietly for Yixing to make out what they're saying when he strains to listen in. Both their expressions are serious, lips pulled into straight lines and brows furrowed, making them more prominent. Yixing tries not to feel left out as they talk for minute after minute, only resolving to give Longyuan a little attention to occupy himself.

As soon as the empty dessert plates have been taken and the tables have been cleared, Yixing breathes out a sigh of relief. Longyuan walks out of the main hall and Yixing pays complete attention to Yifan, endeavouring to ease the tension that seeps into Yifan's body. Kevin leaves soon after the waiters do, giving Yifan a nod and tapping a few other men on their table on the shoulder. When they're gone, Yixing goes as far to initiate kisses of his own, trying to show that a little attention that a waiter was obligated to give him doesn't have him swaying in his affections of Yifan.

They're all brought more alcohol, a way to show that the dinner party will last long after the food has been eaten, and Yixing knows that Yifan likes smoking whenever he drinks. So, he reaches into the inside pocket of Yifan's jacket and pulls a cigarette out, placing it between Yifan's lips after kissing him. There's a small book of matches in that pocket, too, which he uses to strike up a flame and light the tip, smelling the tobacco as it begins to burn.

Yifan toys with the hair that touches Yixing's collar as Yixing does that, which causes Yixing to smile and get one in return.

"I should invite you out more often if you'll pamper me like this," Yifan whispers, taking over holding the cigarette and taking a drag from it. "Or keep you around all the time so you can light all my cigarettes and cigars."

"Treat me nicely and maybe I will," he declares with a smile, kissing the side of Yifan's mouth.

Yifan rests his cigarette between his fingers and takes up holding his glass, sipping on the drink in it. He lifts an eyebrow at Yixing, sucking in one side of his lip before loosening it up again. Yixing watches the action intently, which Yifan ends up grinning at.

"You're talking as if I don't treat you like a king."

Yixing tilts his head to the side, widening his eyes slightly as he pouts. He knows it's what makes him look softest and, from Yifan's reaction, it works. "A prince maybe, not a king."

Taking another drag from his cigarette, Yifan moves forward and rests on the table, blowing the smoke out towards the centre of the table. He turns his head to Yixing and leans on his hands, smoke seeping out of the end of his roll of tobacco.

"I need to up my game then," Yifan concedes, not taking it seriously. "Just keep behaving and I'll give you anything you want."

"And how should I behave?" Yixing leans in when Yifan curls his finger.

"Do as I ask and say, then we'll never have a problem."

Yixing shrugs, "Sounds easy enough."

"Like a true puppy," Yifan grins and Yixing, somehow, takes it as a compliment. He preens at the comparison, adoring that he could make Yifan happy enough to smile at him like that.

"Is this going to be _a thing_ between us? You comparing me a dog?" Yixing flicks one side of his mouth up, showing that he's receptive to the way Yifan's teasing him.

"If you keep being a cute little puppy, I may just have to."

Yixing motions to respond but Kevin appears behind Yifan, bending down to whisper into his ear. Yifan's face straightens out, eyes darkening slightly before he looks up at Yixing again.

"There's something I need to sort out," Yifan informs him, rising up from where he's sat to go to Kevin and the other men stood around him. Yixing moves to get up from where he's sat, too, but Yifan lays a hand on his shoulder, telling him no. "I'll meet you back here soon. Don't go anywhere, okay?"

Yixing nods his head, trusting what Yifan says.

In return, Yifan strokes his cheek and smiles with a wink whilst he iterates, _"Good boy."_

Yixing sits idly in his seat for quite a while, engaging in polite conversation with people who seem to take an interest in him and his relationship with Yifan. It's when an hour passes and Yixing's drink has been drunk that he grows antsy, wondering where Yifan could be if he's been gone for so long.

A voice in Yixing's head tells him that he's been left there, that Yifan's gone off with his friends and forgotten about him sat at the table. The more time passes, the louder that voice gets and Yixing's eyes water far quicker than he'd like to admit to. He stands abruptly from the table, not wanting anyone around him to see that he's about to cry, and heads out of the dining hall. He asks one of the servers where the bathroom is but doesn't listen to the answer he gets as he blindly walks through the halls.

He does find a bathroom soon enough, where he grabs a hand towel and dabs his eyes with it. He glances at himself in the mirror, muttering to himself to get a grip until he regains some composure. What he decides to do is find a telephone to call for a cab to come and pick him up.

Yixing wanders about the house, nudging open doors a little wider to peer in and see if there's a phone sat on a table anywhere. When he turns onto one of the darker corridors, one that isn't lit very well, he hears the sounds of muffled voices interlaced more prolonged vocal sounds. Yixing can't work out what it is, so he glances behind him, looking to see if he's being followed, then heads towards where he's sure the sounds are coming from.

He stops in front of a door that's not quite close, only drawn just to, and with the lightest of fingers, he pushes it open until there's a crack large enough to look through. At first, there isn't much to see, only a small library with a desk. So, he moves around until he can see the sources of the sounds.

His hand flies to his mouth to stop any sound from leaving it when he sees what's happening. It's so clear in front of him that Yifan's there. Even if Yifan has his back to Yixing, he knows it's his boyfriend, because of the large dragon tattoo that crawls down his back around to his hip. He's shirtless in the room and Yixing feels sick when his suspicions are confirmed. What he sees is Yifan's body twist around, showing a mix of splatter and spray of blood. There's a man lying limply on the floor, bloodied and bruised, and Yixing thinks he's caught the end of what's going on. But then Yifan swings back around.

He hits the man again and Yixing tells himself that he didn't see the glinting of Yifan's rings on his knuckles as he rained more punches down on the man who looks half dead. Yixing moves a few inches closer to the door, squinting slightly to make out who the person is.

The weight of sickness in his stomach only gets heavier when he recognises who the person is. It's the waiter, the one who helped Yixing with his napkin and brought drinks over to him, Longyuan.

"I don't take too well to people thinking they have the right to touch what's mine." Yifan's voice is so deep and low that Yixing can liken it to a growl, it terrifies him until his fingers shake on his lips. Yifan still doesn't stop, telling the waiter, "Yixing belongs to me," as he goes.

Yixing's pretty certain Yifan will kill the man and there's no way he can watch that. So, before he gets caught, he slips away from the door and hurries back down the hallways until the lights are brighter again. He's almost hyperventilating when he sits back down in his chair, safe in the knowledge that he hasn't been left on his own, horrified by the glance at a side of Yifan that he's never seen before then.

He doesn't know what to think to it, so he stares off into space, only zoning back in when he sees Yifan reenter the hall. Yifan looks as put together as he did when he arrived, there's not even a hair out of place on his head, only proving to worsen how Yixing feels inside.

The first thing Yifan does when Yixing's within touching distance _is_ to touch him. They kiss until Yixing's lips hurt, Yifan cradling his body like it's a delicate object, even if it isn't. Yixing doesn't feel like he can do anything other than respond, actually enjoying the physical contact after being in a slight state of shock.

"We'll leave soon," he's told and he nods his head, simply blinking.

Yifan keeps kissing him and holding him tighter, then Yixing feels it. How aroused Yifan is. The fact that Yifan's gently grinding against Yixing as they stand with their bodies obscured by Yifan's friends. Yixing's speechless, attempting to ground himself by flicking his tongue against Yifan's, squeezing his eyes shut tight. A minute or two passes, then Yifan moves to Yixing's neck, sucking marks into it, leaving signs of himself that will stay with Yixing for days to come.

"You're coming home with me," Yifan tells him lowly. "I really want to fuck you right now."

Yixing nods again, still unable to trust himself to speak, looking up to Yifan with wide eyes.

"You've been such a good boy. When we get home, I'll make sure to reward you like you deserve."

Yixing isn't sure if he hates that all it takes for his body to respond to Yifan is having Yifan touch him. It's Yifan's hips against his that have him growing hard in his dress pants. Yifan smiles in a way that's almost a smirk down at Yixing when he notices.

"Let's go." Yifan draws back and Yixing fumbles after him, concentrating on keeping up with Yifan than trying to avoid the stares of others around them.

The car is already waiting for them and Yixing gasps loudly when Yifan pushes Yixing down in the back of the car, fumbling with the belt Yixing has on. When Yixing's dress pants are pulled down to his thighs, he lets out a short cry as Yifan's mouth meets his skin, ignoring the wet blood on Yifan's rings.

 

≈≈≈

 

Filming starts up within the week, taking up Yixing's time as they try to fill in everything that's missing and even if the schedule is packed to the brim, there's an air of relaxation to the crew. No one knows where the money has come from, though. Yifan wished to remain as an anonymous donor, explaining to Yixing that he doesn't want it to come across like he's buying his boyfriend's career, knowing how much Yixing values being the source of his own success.

Yixing's trailer, however, is replaced with something far newer - with a door that doesn't stick. The fridge is constantly filled with water from the same bottles Yifan had gifted to him, along with the French pastries likes the most placed on a shelf of them own to stop them from going stale in the heat.

The script went through numerous rewrites in their few weeks off and Yixing's character underwent changes that Yixing finds himself needing to quickly wrap his head around. He takes his scripts home with him, looking at them whenever he's in his own apartment and trying to when he's been invited to Yifan's house. He doesn't get much done at Yifan's, being distracted from working whenever Yifan wants his attention. Which is, if Yixing's honest with himself, whenever they're around one another.

In his time at the house, Yixing sees Kevin more often, as he's often wandering in and out of the house to tell Yifan things in low and hushed tones. Yixing's given up on trying to listen to them, coming to learn that they're about Yifan's work and he figures that the less he knows about it, the better it will be for him.

Yifan only picks him up every few days, as opposed to each day, and the driver takes Yixing straight home, where he spends his evening listening to record with Lu Han, practicing their scenes with each other.

It's like he's reached a happy medium in his life, working as much will keep him occupied and without the weight of having to ask Yifan for money, as well as having his entirety adored by someone who would do anything to protect him, with the added bonus of his best friend staying by his side.

One morning, when Yixing's not yet left for the set, Lu Han stops by the bathroom as Yixing's brushing his teeth. He leans on the doorway as Yixing looks up at him through the small mirror they have on the wall.

"What?" He tries to say with his mouth full of toothpaste.

"I was wondering if you wanted to invite Kris over? For dinner, or something?"

Yixing spits out the minty foaming fluid and washes it away with one twist of the tap. "I thought you wouldn't want anything to do with him?"

"Preferably, I wouldn't. But, I'm your best friend, right? I've made you meet my girlfriends in the years we've been living together, so I thought we could do the same for you and him."

"You don't mind that I like men?" Yixing brings the volume of his voice down, afraid of rejection.

Lu Han doesn't say anything right away. Yixing hangs his head, wiping his lips and running his fingers under the still running tap.

"I'm still adjusting to it but I think I'll be okay with it, if only for you." Lu Han comes up behind Yixing and gives him a short hug, pulling back and turning Yixing's body with him. "Now, you can invite Kris over, if you want. I need to make sure he treats you right."

"I'll call him when I get to the set and ask if he wants to." Yixing steps past Lu Han and trundles back to his room to put a shirt on over his undershirt. "I can't guarantee that he'll say yes, as we both know he doesn't like it here."

 

≈≈≈

 

Yixing does call Yifan, sat in Huang Bo's office where the phone is, twiddling the cable between his fingers as he waits for Yifan to pick up. He does so after the third try, which Yixing smiles at, hearing _, "Kris Wu."_

"Hi," Yixing opens, trying to talk over the chattering that seems to be going on around Yifan.

 _"Yixing?"_ Yifan asks when he hears Yixing's voice, igniting something warm in Yixing's fingers.

"Yeah." Yixing bites his lip. "I hope you're having a good day."

 _"My day has been... productive..."_ Yifan trails off in a way that Yixing doesn't quite know the meaning of, assuming it to be a softened codeword for something more rough around the edges. _"Yours?"_

"It's been good, we're flying through scenes today," Yixing informs him, hearing a small sigh on the other end, which indicates Yifan's got something smoking hanging from his lips - most likely a cigar, as he's taken more of a liking to them with a new brand that's been brought to him by a supplier they've acquired. Yixing doesn't ask for the details but he supposes it's a front for something else.

 _"Does that mean you'll be done soon and I can have you here everyday, lying out by the pool in, well, in not very much at all?"_ Yifan doesn't care that there are people around him, he never does, and that thought alone - of people hearing how Yifan talks to him - has Yixing's cheeks turning pink.

"I think I'll try to find another role whilst this film is cut and edited," Yixing rests his elbows on the table, resting his head on the phone. "To give me something to do before I do anything to promote this one."

_"What about spending all your time with me? Here? Then I can reward you like a king for being such a good boy."_

"And become a lap-dog?" Yixing teases.

He regrets it when he hears, _"Having you in my lap all the time does sound tempting, so I'm going to say yes to that."_

"You're being a sleaze again. Actually, scrap that, you never stopped," Yixing giggles and Yifan clicks his tongue.

_"I'll come to pick you up today, if you're missing me enough to call me."_

"I wasn't calling because I miss you, even if I might." Yixing takes a breath in and sighs it out, saying, "Lu Han wanted to know if you'd like to come over for dinner one day, so he can meet you properly. You know, to get to know you. It's important to me for him to like you."

 _"And what'll happen if he doesn't like me? You know I'd have to_ deal with it _if he doesn't want me around you."_

"Don't say that," Yixing whispers quietly, visions from the night Yixing saw Yifan _'dealing with'_ the waiter that gave Yixing a little too much of his time. "He's my best friend."

_"I'm simply telling you the truth, Xing. If it doesn't happen, there's nothing to worry about. But, if it does, he'll have to know that I don't want anyone to come between us."_

"You've not met him yet, please don't go into being around Lu Han with this mindset."

 _"I'll do as I like, Yixing,"_ Yifan firmly and flatly emphasises, leaving Yixing with the impression that he's being chastised. _"I'll say and do what I want, are we clear?"_

"Yes," Yixing mumbles, recalling childhood memories of his parents asserting their authority. "I'm sorry, I only want the both of you to get along. It would upset me if you didn't."

Yifan's voice changes almost instantly as he hums, _"There's nothing to apologise for, Xing, just keep being my good boy and there won't be a problem. Now, I'll pencil in dinner with the both of you for some time next week, as I'm working most nights this week."_

"Okay... I'll see you later?"

 _"Yeah, sure. If I don't get to call with you some other day, I'll certainly write."_ Yifan sounds like he takes in more of his cigar and Yixing pulls the stand of the phone towards himself. _"I'll be out front at the usual time. And I'm sorry, Xing, if what I said upset you. I just don't want him thinking he could end our relationship if he doesn't like me."_

"I know, I understand." Yixing smiles a little. "Bye, Yifan."

There's no goodbye from Yifan before the line goes dead and Yixing grips the handle of the phone in his hand, sighing, worrying about Yifan and Lu Han spending the evening together.

 

≈≈≈

 

To Yixing's shock, Yifan really tries with learning about how get Lu Han to like him, having Yixing give him short lessons on how to win his best friend over. Yixing decides that alcohol and women are the best way to get that done, which Yifan simply smirks at, toying with one of his shirts that hangs off of Yixing's body.

"I think I can definitely provide both of those things."

Yixing looks up at Yifan from where he's been reading his lines, "Maybe only stick with alcohol for this meeting."

"What's wrong with women?" Yifan poses, tucking Yixing's hair behind his ears.

"Absolutely nothing. The problem is with Lu Han, he's very much like you."

Yifan raises his eyebrows, "A sleaze?"

Yixing doesn't say no and shrugs his shoulders, moving his script further up Yifan's bare stomach.

"However, I'm only one for you. Not for anything pretty with a pulse." Yifan's voice rumbles in just the way Yixing likes most. "Honestly, though, who can blame me when you look best naked?"

Yixing's cheeks flush, hating how forward Yifan is with his affection, so he rolls onto his back, placing his head where his script was and holding the paper booklet above his head to read it. It effectively hides his blush and is enough coercion for Yifan to begin playing with his hair.

"You just want to parade me around naked to the world, don't you?" Yixing huffs out when Yifan's hand leaves his hair and drifts under Yixing's shirt, playing with Yixing's chest.

"No, I don't want anyone else seeing just how beautiful you are," Yifan informs him. "I want you naked but only naked for me. And rather soon, too."

"Nuh uh, not tonight. You said you needed to go to work."

"Work can wait until I fuck you to sleep." Yifan accents his words by unbuttoning the shirt on Yixing's body, skimming his fingers down Yixing's sternum.

"But I've already arranged it with your driver for him to take me home when you leave. I don't want to spend the night alone here." Yixing sits up and puts his script down onto his bare thighs, effectively halting Yifan's effort to undress him further. "I told Lu Han I'd make some freshly pressed orange juice in the morning, too, as he washed my clothes on his day off."

"Why don't you want to spend the night here alone?" Yifan probes, ignoring what Yixing said about Lu han.

Yixing faces Yifan with furrowed brows, "Uh, maybe because I don't live here? This is your place."

"I wouldn't mind it if you stayed here without me, it would actually be rather nice to come home and have you wait for me."

"Maybe another night," Yixing reasons and he's glad Yifan drops the subject, swinging his clothed legs off the bed. "Do you want your shirt back?"

"No, white won't do much good for tonight," Yifan yawns, making his way to his wardrobe and pulling out a black silt button up, pulling it on over his arms and shoulders.

The comment about shirt colour alone only makes Yixing's stomach turn a little, remembering his mother telling him as a child that darker colours hide blood the best after Yixing stained a blue t-shirt when playing a little too roughly with his friends. Instead he puts his own trousers on, shoving Yifan's shirt into them to tuck it in, even if it was far too large for him.

Yifan waits until Yixing is ready before he leaves, both of them going down the stairs holding hands and the driver is already there waiting for Yixing. Not too differently then usual, Yifan guides Yixing out to the car and opens up the door for him, he bends into the car to give Yixing a a long, drawn out kiss before righting his posture again.

"Get him home safely," Yifan utters in the driver's direction. He faces Yixing once more and blows him a kiss. "Goodnight, Yixing. I'll see you soon."

"Night, Yifan," he smiles, showcasing his dimple, reaching out and closing the car door.

The driver darts around the car, turning on the lights and switching on the engine, rolling down the driveway until they reach the thin road that leads back to the city.

"Can you believe it'll be autumn next week?" Yixing strikes up as conversation. "This year has gone pretty fast, don't you think?"

Yixing considers that he met Yifan in April and they're already almost six months down the line, which feels like such a short amount of time with the stress that had been pushing down on Yixing's shoulders. But as the driver talks in reply, mentioning that he agrees with Yixing, that the year has gone by faster than he expected it to.

Even after all that time, Yixing still doesn't know the driver's name, having never heard Yifan use it - Yifan rarely uses anyone's, other than Yixing and his close, high-level friends, names to regard them with, he talks at them, demanding that they listen to him. Yixing doesn't mind it, however, as it makes him feel more detached from the darker parts of Yifan's life, the sections he's not yet shown to Yixing. Or, at least though he's not shown.

The driver turns the radio on, filling the silence that falls over them, letting Yixing lay back and practically melt into the seat. He wonders when Autumn will come and finally steal away the warmth, which he hopes with all his heart will happen soon. If only to be able to not give Yifan the excuse that Yixing may get too hot if he were to stay in clothes much longer whenever they're together, but it's because he wants cooler air.

He loves the in-between seasons the most, taking comfort in the fact that they're not usually too hot or too cold for his tastes. He wants to continue to wear thin shirts and trousers without the worry of sweat making them cling to his body.

Car rides are lonely without Yifan stroking his hair or playing with his fingers, Yixing notices each time he's chauffeured to and from places. He wonders when that became the case, when Yifan showed him that sometimes it's better to have someone there, rather than not.

 

≈≈≈

 

It's neither Lu Han nor Yifan who panic about the dinner, it's Yixing. He stands in the living area on the morning of the dinner, crying over where he's pressing his trousers for the day. Lu Han appears in only an undershirt and his trousers, wondering what's happening.

Lu han fusses over Yixing, taking over the laundry task whilst rubbing Yixing's back over and over.

"What's got you so worked up?" Lu Han asks so softly and gently that Yixing cries more. "What's wrong?"

"I," Yixing pauses, "I think I'm in love with Yifan."

"Wait... What? Who the hell is Yifan?" Lu Han turns the press off to hold Yixing's shoulders steady. "Yixing, what the hell is going on? Who's Yifan?"

"It's Kris," he mumbles, clarifying, "it's his real name. And I... I love him."

The realisation came as he thought over the potentials for the evening, worrying over conversation topics and the impression his boyfriend and his best friend would leave on one another. And it had occurred to him so naturally before it put him into shock. He'd thought about how much he loves Lu Han, valuing his opinion as the person in his life who, arguable, knows him best. Then, his brain had decided to compare it to how much he loves Yifan. And that's how the tears began for him, when it set in that he really did love Yifan.

"What do I do?" Yixing splutters out eventually, tucking himself into Lu Han’s body as best he can. "I shouldn’t be in love with him."

"But you are," is all Lu Han responds with and Yixing nods his head, crying harder.

Beforehand, Yixing knew there was affection there, running deep in his chest, but he just didn’t know just how much there was of it. And, as he’s come to figure out, it’s enough to put a label onto it, one that carries weight and importance in his heart.

"Oh, Yixing," his best friend murmurs into his hair. Lu Han pulls back, holding Yixing by his shoulders until Yixing's looking at him, eyes still watering and turning bloodshot. "You'll be okay. No matter what happens, you'll be okay."

Yixing nods his head, wiping his eyes with his wrists and body shuddering slightly as he continues to sob. Of all the people his heart could choose, it's Yifan. It's someone who would beat a waiter to a bloody pulp that Yixing's chosen to feel this unconditional emotion for. Lu Han understands, Yixing can tell from the sympathy that radiates from him. His eyes are sad, body lacking tension as he seems to crumble himself in time with Yixing, a degree of reality of Yixing's fate resolving itself in their minds.

Lu Han ushers him to the kitchen, forcing him to drink a glass of water as Lu Han sorts the rest of what Yixing was doing. The idea of being in love with Yifan permeates itself through Yixing's body for a second time around, though it feels nicer this time around. He thinks of the way Yifan strokes over his skin, of how he feels when they're together, of how part of Yifan's soul seems to have branded itself on Yixing's. It's only when he thinks outside of being around Yifan, or having some kind of contact with him, that the apprehension sets in. It's not what Yifan would do to him that he fears from the gangster, it's what he does to the rest of the world.

Yixing has no control over it and would still somehow feel complicit to it.

"What am I going to do?" He asks, not even to Lu Han directly, but to any entity that could possibly answer him.

Lu Han is, indeed, the voice that answers him, declaring: "Whatever you want to and only what you want to."

Those words, even as vague as they are, do wonders for Yixing's mind, helping him to unpack his _want_ rather than his _love._

And he doesn't know if that's worse, after all, as he comes to the realisation that he wants Yifan. He wants to be in love with Yifan.

 

≈≈≈

 

Lu Han says nothing about their conversation that morning when Yixing sits Yifan down at the table, taking his jacket and hanging it up on the hook by the door. Yifan's dressed smartly, more so than usual but in anything too formal. Lu Han's clothes are similar to Yifan's, leaving Yixing to feel somewhat under dressed in the clothes he went to work in. He wants to excuse himself to change but the apartment is eerily quiet, even when there's one more person in there than usual. Still, he introduces his boyfriend to his best friend, a small ounce of hope appearing as they shake hands.

That seems to be the end of Yifan's efforts, however, as he sits in silence, making Yixing stare at Lu Han with wide eyes, prompting him to do something.

"The food is almost done," Lu Han announces not too shortly after Yixing takes up sitting in the chair beside Yifan's around the square table they have. "It'll only be fifteen minutes more."

Yixing nods, pouring Yifan a drink from the jug of iced water that sits in the middle of the table, doing one for himself and Lu Han not too longer after. Still, Yifan makes no comment, not even when Yixing takes his hand.

Again, Lu Han tries, asking the question, "Did you feel that chill in the wind today?"

"Yeah, it seems like Autumn really is on its way," Yixing responds, looking at Yifan again, hoping he'll have something to add to the smalltalk Lu Han tried to strike up. But, Yifan simply stares at his glass of water, ignoring the two actors as they hold a rather stilted conversation.

Both Lu Han and Yixing go back and forth with each other as they try to get Yifan into the conversation, though, he only talks when spoken directly to. Had it been anyone else, Yixing would have grown short with the fact he's being so rude to Yixing's best friend, but Yixing bites his tongue. He doesn't know how Yifan would react to having Yixing try to chastise him right in front of Lu Han, either.

Plus, he'd rather not start an argument where Lu Han could easily get pulled into it, too. He expects something like that would only end in tears. Most likely his own.

"I have some pictures of Yixing when he was younger, if you want to see them, Kris?" Lu Han's scrambling for topics to bring up but the mere mention of Yixing as the subject has Yifan's head perking up a little.

That's the only interaction Lu Han needs to stand up from the table and make his way into his bedroom, probably to get the photo album he has in his chest of drawers. Yixing follows him out of the room with his before putting his focus on Yifan.

"Can you make more of an effort with him, please?" He pleads quietly, listening out for when Lu Han will come back to the kitchen-diner area. "This means a lot to me. I behaved and was more than cordial to your friends, so could you please return the favour?"

Yifan's expression remains flat for a few moments after Yixing speaks before he sighs, lessening some of the tension there, "I'll try."

Yixing places a small kiss on Yifan's mouth, showing his gratitude to accent the muted, "Thank you," that he says shortly after.

The change in Yifan appears to startle Lu Han, as Yifan turns on the charm offensive, smiling and maintaining eye contact whenever Lu Han says anything at all. The intensity Yifan has naturally clearly causes Lu Han to fluster inside, to which Yixing can't help but laugh inwardly at. It's an amusing sight to see Lu Han in all his usual confidence meet its match in Yifan's, both of them leaning forward on the table to look at Yixing as a pre-teen.

"I don't have anything earlier than when he was thirteen, as that's when we became friends." That's what Lu Han tells Yifan as they get to a photograph of Yixing when they first moved into the apartment.

"You have a camera here?" Yifan asks as he runs his finger over Yixing when he had slightly more unruly hair that curled around his ears.

"It was my parents'," Yixing explains, putting his input into the conversation. "They gave it to us when we moved here, to record our time here and share it with them."

"I should take photographs of you," Yifan hums, turning his head to Yixing, running his finger down Yixing's lips and chin. "You come out well in them."

Yixing leans back from the touch, noticing how uncomfortable it makes Lu Han where he's sat, "Ah, Lu Han's always been the more photogenic of the two of us."

"Is that so?" Yifan retracts his hand from Yixing's face and he flicks eyes between the two of them. "I think, from what I've seen, the two of you could be a rather killer package."

Yixing blinks a few times, unsure of the tone Yifan's taken when talking about him and his best friend.

"A film could gather quite a large amount of attention if it had the two of you as the face of it," is the explanation they're given, to which Yixing smiles.

"We have a deal, we're not ever going to work on a film together."

"Oh?" Yifan's shock is only on his face for a split second before it fades away completely, back behind Yifan's mask of neutrality. "You're not."

"No," Yixing continues from where Lu han had left the subject. "If we're living together, we don't to smother each other by being in constant company. We like being able to escape here and talk over our problems with each other. We're also very competitive with each other, which we found out when we did a performance project together in high school."

"What about if you didn't live together?"

Yixing pushes his lips to think about it, not recalling having a discussion about whether or not they would lift their self-imposed ban on working with each other if their living arrangements were to change.

Lu Han's the one to say: "I doubt we've talked about that."

"Yeah, I don't think we've ever considered not living with each other."

"We always said we'd move here together and leave here together."

"You see, I'd like it if Yixing came to live with me," Yifan shares to the two actors, both of whom respond in likeness to one another: with wide eyes and mouths agape. "I would much prefer it if he lived with me, somewhere I can watch over him and give him somewhere," Yifan pauses and looks around the apartment, "a bit more fitting for him to live in."

"What's wrong with our apartment?" Lu Han furrows his eyebrows and Yixing's sure he's taken complete offense to what Yifan's said. Panic, that's what Yixing's experiencing when it comes to the idea of Lu Han trying to pick a fight with Yifan about this. Especially since Yixing's sure it's a hypothetical proposition. Lu Han, to Yixing's relief starts to laugh, clarifying, "You don't need to answer that, I think we're all aware that this place is a bit of a mess."

"Yes," Yifan nods his head. "And I do think it would be better if Yixing were to be somewhere more comfortable."

"I like living with Lu Han here, though." Yixing pouts. "It may not be the best for keeping cool in the summer but it's not uncomfortable to be here."

Lu Han looks at his watch and jumps up onto his feet when he realises the time, rushing to the stove where he adjusts the pots of the food he's made. Yifan takes the opportunity of Lu Han's back being turned to take Yixing's face in his hands and kiss him, prying a smile out of Yixing. When Yifan pulls back, he takes his cigarettes out and lights one, which gains Lu Han's attention and Yifan offers the one he just lit to him.

The gesture is just enough to spark happiness within Yixing, seeing how Lu Han doesn't think twice before taking one. Soon, they're both smoking and Yixing gathers plates and bowls from the shelves above the sink. He can feel Yifan's eyes on him, even as he sets them out and when Yixing leans over Yifan to put the man's dinnerware down, he's given a soft kiss on his cheek.

"What's that for?" Yixing queries, ducking out of the way Yifan's about to blow his smoke in.

"Because you were close enough to do it to." As cheesily gross as the comment is, Yixing still goes slightly pink from hearing it, namely because Yifan said it loud enough for Lu Han to be able to hear it too.

"Right, dinner is done," Lu Han announces, moving to put the dishes onto the table between all of them. They all take what they want from the collection of food between them, talking taking the back burner as they fill their stomachs up with what Lu Han spent his afternoon preparing and cooking.

Yifan makes a noise Yixing translates to be one of happiness as he digs into his food. That's confirmed by Yifan's, "This is really great."

Yixing knows he's not lying as he says that because, like always, Lu Han's food is rather brilliant, and Yixing practically scarfs his lot down. He even cheekily steals some from Lu Han's plate as his best friend drinks some of his water. The whine he gets for doing so makes the pork he's put into his mouth taste even better, Yixing grinning as he swallows the meat and pretends to go for more.

"Stop taking my food! Take it from his plate." Lu Han juts his fork in Yifan's direction, who Yixing shifts his attention to.

"Hey, I don't like sharing food. Plus, I'm working again tonight, so I need all the food I can get." Yifan seems so set in what he's saying until he realises Yixing's assumed his regular _"puppy"_ expression. That makes him falter a little and look down at his dishes. "Maybe I don't need _this much_ food."

Meat and vegetables straight from Yifan's plate appear in Yixing's, which he swallows down in a similar fashion as he did his own original helping. Lu Han chuckles quietly at how easily Yifan caved to Yixing mock sulking at him. Yifan pays him no mind, checking that Yixing's full before continuing with what's left on his plate.

Because he says he has to work, Yifan claims he can't spend too much longer at the apartment, though Yixing gets the impression that Yifan simply doesn't want to be there much more. Not due to the company he's keeping but down to the actual apartment itself.

Yixing helps Yifan put his jacket on when he's ready to leave, taking Yifan out to the hallway once he's said goodbye to Lu Han. It's then that Yifan kisses Yixing in the way he normally does, his tongue warm, wet and tasting of dinner when it meets Yixing's. He pushes Yixing against the wall next to the door, making a muffled thud resound in the public corridor, and even pulls one of Yixing's legs up around his waist. Putting his arms around Yifan's neck, Yixing pulls himself fully into the kiss and only moves away when he senses a groan build up in his throat.

"I want you to live with me," Yifan breathes against Yixing's lips, the air hot and heavy as it blows into Yixing's mouth. "I want you to pack your things and be ready by the weekend."

"But, I--," Yixing tries interject, letting his arms fall from where they rest on Yifan's shoulders. "Lu Han."

Yifan drops Yixing's leg in favour of holding Yixing's jaw in his hand, his eyes dark and set on Yixing's, "All I’m going to say is that I want you to live with me, that’s my final thought on the matter.

Yixing stares up at Yifan, blinking a couple of times, before nodding. "I'll have my things together by saturday."

 

≈≈≈

 

Lu Han's silent as Yixing puts his share of clothes and items into duffle bags. Yixing wishes he would say something, make some kind of comment about Yixing leaving or even just register the fact that Yixing was taking things out of their bathroom. He still said nothing when Yifan turned up, two men Yixing hasn't ever seen before in tow behind him, or when the men took Yixing's bags down to cars that were waiting for them.

"I'll come over all the time," Yixing said as part of his goodbye, only then does Lu Han pay him any kind of attention. The tears in Lu Han's eyes say it all and that triggers Yixing's own sight to blur with water, leaving Yixing with no other thought than to hug Lu Han so hard he's sure his bones will pop.

"You better," Lu Han grumbles. "I doubt I'll be able to come over and see you there, so you _have_ to come here."

They cry, holding each other in the bathroom until Yifan comes and tugs on the back of Yixing's jacket. When they let each other go, Yixing weaves his fingers between Yifan's.

"I'll write you letters and you better buy a phone for this place, I'll call you every morning," Yixing sniffles, ignoring how Yifan tugs on his hand to encourage him to leave. "Promise?"

Lu Han moves his head in agreement, "I promise, I promise."

Yixing lets Yifan pull him from the apartment, trailing after Yifan as they go down the stairs and get into the car. The engine's already running, the driver is there with gloves on and Yixing presses himself against the door of the car, looking up at the building he'd lived in for the past few years.

"I didn't want to leave," Yixing mumbles, breath steaming on the glass, even though it's still hot outside. "I was happy staying there."

"You don't want to be with me?" Yifan asks flatly, not putting much emotion into his voice.

Sighing, Yixing says, "That's not what I said."

"You honestly can't believe I would live _there."_

"No, Yifan, I didn't expect you to live there. I didn't expect you to want me to leave, either." Yixing comes away from the window as the building slips out of sight, still not facing Yifan to show his annoyance at the situation.

"It'll get better, Yixing. You'll like living at the house. It can be a home for you, for us," Yifan assures him and Yixing does believe him. However, he knows Yifan won't see it in quite the same way as him; Yifan's not the one that's leaving his home he's happy with. "You can do whatever you want with the house. You can have your own room, your own domain, your own maids and," Yifan pauses, "and anything you want. I'll give you whatever you ask for."

"Can Lu Han come over?" Yixing poses, eyes falling on Yifan.

There's no reply, but Yixing can see how Yifan keeps just far enough away from him to give him space and yet, his arm is stretched towards Yixing, ready to hold him if Yixing were to move closer. The silence is so thick and palpable between them, Yixing's stomach twists and churns rather violently.

Calmly, Yifan concedes, "If it would make you happy to live with me."

 

≈≈≈

 

The first few nights, Yixing hardly sleeps. It doesn’t matter if Yifan is there or not, he can’t seem to shut his brain down and get the rest he knows he needs. When Yifan’s working, Yixing stays up all night with his script, only pretending to sleep when Yifan comes in to avoid conversations about why he’s still awake. When Yifan is sleeping next to him, Yixing writes letters to Lu Han at the desk in the corner of the room, penning down how much he misses being with Lu Han in their apartment.

It’s weird and he knows it is. He could sleep perfectly in Yifan’s bed before he moved in, it simply seems that now he’s supposed to call it his home, he doesn’t know what to make of it. Yifan either notices and doesn’t say anything about Yixing’s tiredness, or he’s too distracted by working to look at Yixing hard enough to see how exhausted he is.

Yixing wouldn’t say he’s miserable at Yifan’s house, it’s simply very different to what he’s used to. It’s most notably evident when Yifan isn’t there. The rooms are too big for just one person, the workers Yifan has in the house don’t sit to talk to Yixing, and there’s nothing more for Yixing to do than sit around, doing nothing.

As much as they joked about it, Yixing feels like a pet - a small lap-dog - that goes to greet Yifan at the door with his tail wagging and mopes around when he’s not outside. Yixing thinks about taking up smoking, if only to keep his hands busy with something, but he doesn’t like the way it makes his chest feel. He drinks a bit, finding that helps him sleep, but he knows that’s not a solution to the problem he has. Instead, Yixing lays himself on the sofa in one of the lounge areas and listens to the records Yifan keeps on a shelf in there. He listens to them all the way through, even when he hates them, before changing the vinyl over.

Lu Han sends his own letters, along with bundles of envelopes from Yixing’s parents. Yixing loves opening them and reading them as he eats breakfast with Yifan, loving that Yifan listens intently when he explains about how his parents and best friend are getting on in their lives.

During the day, however, Yixing loves it at the house. There’s a large swimming pool that sits in direct line to the sun all day, so it warms up by the time Yixing’s back from work and Yifan watches him swim around. Yixing lays outside for hours, soaking in warmth and light on the days where the clouds haven’t moved in, enjoying how summer has stretched itself a little longer into Autumn.

Yifan spoils him, too. He’s kissed for hours and given anything he could possibly ask for. The food is always perfectly cooked and anything he craves, he can have. Yixing gets to spend time with Yifan’s friends, like Kevin, more and he loves the company they bring, always having something fresh to say in conversation.

Yixing’s often excluded, though, when they come over. He understands that they’re there to work and that he prefers not knowing what they talk about in Yifan’s study when the door’s shut.

Nothing feels like the man he’s in love with is a murderer and, arguably, a corrupting tyrant. It’s closer to a dream; nothing in real life can touch him in that large house, surrounded by men who carry guns and knives that have all most certainly killed people.

It really is like Yixing’s a young prince. Just one that gets lonely at night.

 

≈≈≈

 

The sun still beats down hotly when Lu Han arrives for the first time, stepping out from the car he’s been brought in, in complete and utter awe of Yifan’s house. Yixing, even if he lives there, rarely takes time to stare at the grandeur of the place, how it’s surrounded by cherry blossoms that have no flowers, only leaves, and the way it fits so easily into the quiet around it. He only takes more time for it when he sees Lu Han’s reaction, who is taking his sunglasses off to prop up on his head with his mouth hanging ajar in wonderment.

"You live here now? Holy shit." Lu Han stands stock still as he speaks, only sliding his eyes between Yixing and the building behind him. "No wonder Kris didn’t want you living in that measly apartment."

Yixing smiles, already comforted by the fact that Lu Han is there, Lu Han is with him to help him find a home within the large house. He skips to his best friend’s side and loops their arms together, taking Lu Han up the stairs and into the wide open doors that lead to the foyer.

A maid brings Lu Han a glass of apple juice - something Lu Han loves but rarely buys for himself - and Yixing takes him on a short tour around the lower floors.

"Where’s Kris?" Lu Han asks, looking around curiously and touching leaves in flower pots that sit on tables in the hallway.

"Upstairs, working." Yixing shrugs and Lu Han nods, not probing any further.

As they go around, Lu Han becomes more and more interested in what Yixing has to show him. Yixing, however, tries to remember what all the rooms are for and which ones Yixing’s not supposed to show to guests, the places where Yifan keeps his "tools for business". He thinks he does so correctly, as the maid hovering around behind them doesn’t make any move to stop Yixing from opening the doors that he does.

"What do you want to do today? We can go down to the play room and have a game of billiards, if you want?"

Lu Han regards Yixing with a face that only reads bemusement. "You think I want to waste a day like this inside? I want to see this pool you’re always in."

Laughing softly, Yixing leads Lu Han out to the gardens, trailing through the finely pruned and lush greenery to where the pool sits, stretching out with brilliantly blue water.

Lu Han starts to take his shirt off and begins to unbuckle his belt once the cotton fabric has been released to the floor. Yixing’s eyes widen, squeaking out: "What are you doing?"

"Come on, let’s go for a swim!" Lu Han calls, fingers leaving his own trousers to go up to Yixing’s t-shirt and hook into it. "If you don’t come and swim with me, I’ll throw you in as you are."

For a few moments, Yixing hesitates before pushing Lu Han’s hands away and taking his own shirt up and pulling it over his head. In Yixing’s shorts, he feels far more exposed than Lu Han is with his legs covered by the jeans he’s got on.

A loud wolf whistle rings out in the air from behind where Yixing stands and he jolts around, covering his chest with his shirt and slipping behind Lu Han. He peers around his best friend’s body to see Yifan. At the sight of Yixing removing his shirt, Yifan simply looks amused, watching him from the steps that lead down to the pool area. Kevin stands just behind him, his expression matching Yifan’s equally as Yixing tries to hide behind Lu Han, out of their view.

Yifan angles himself to talk to one of the servants that followed him out, saying something to him that Yixing can’t make out. He faces Yixing and Lu Han once more, stepping down towards them and heading directly for Yixing, who clings to Lu Han, already beginning to laugh as Yifan raises his eyebrows at him.

"Lu Han, would you kindly step out of the way so I can see Yixing?"

In a moment of true betrayal, Lu Han pries Yixing’s fingers off his body and moves out from between Yifan and Yixing, laughing at the squeal Yixing lets out. Yifan gets ahold of Yixing’s hips and pulls him closer, lips attaching themselves to Yixing’s bare chest and fingers tugging on the button that holds Yixing’s shorts up.

"Are you really going to undress me in front of our best friends?" Yixing whines, pushing Yifan away from him by his shoulders.

Yifan sighs against his skin and grumbles, "Send them away then."

Yixing snorts and replaces Yifan’s fingers on his shorts’ button, doing it back up, telling his boyfriend, "I’ll strip off when you do."

It’s then that Yixing comes to remember that Yifan really is one of the most shameless people that he knows, the man nonchalantly shifting out of his jacket and shirt, flicking his shoes off as he goes to undo his trousers. He’s stopped, much to Yixing’s relief, by the servant reappearing and informing Yifan that he’s brought what was asked of him. Huffing, Yifan goes to the servant and beckons both Yixing and Lu Han over to him.

On the tray the servant is holding, there are four towels and four sets of swimwear. Yixing recognises and picks out his own, escaping to the pool house that’s ten metres away to get changed and put them on. He picks up his shirt that’s on the floor as he moves and ignores how the other three laugh behind him. The pool house is warm and large, like an apartment that’s just bigger than the one Yixing and Lu Han were living in. He removes the rest of his clothes in the open plan lounge-bedroom area, shimmying into his swimming shorts easily as he goes.

When he’s changed and folding up his clothes, the doors open and he smiles as arms creep around his waist. He can feel the roughness of Yifan’s trousers on his bare legs, the material scratching slightly on the backs of his legs.

"Why didn’t you remind me about Lu Han coming over?" Yifan whispers into his ear as Yixing stands more upright to lean on his chest. "I could have sorted things out for both of you to do today."

"It’s okay, I managed to do most of it on my own," Yixing assures him and Yifa hums.

"You really should have reminded me, though, as I’ve got plans for tonight." Yixing twists slightly to see how Yifan’s looking at him. "One of the bars has a batch of new workers in, so I need to check them over."

"If it’s a bar, Lu Han and I can come along," Yixing suggests, hoping earnestly that he’d get to spend time with both Yifan and Lu Han at the same time. "We wouldn’t have to get involved with your work, we could just go to the bar and wait there until you’re done."

Yifan debates it for a moment, running through things in his head before pulling a sceptical face, lips curling downwards. It has Yixing turning around to wrap his arms around Yifan’s neck. When he senses that Yifan’s response will be in the negative, he tacks on: "Everyone knows I belong to you, no one will do anything to me there, if that’s what you’re worried about."

"No." Yifan smiles at him. "It’s just not the kind of place I can picture either you or Lu Han. Mainly you, though."

"Why’s that?"

"Well, the girls that work there aren’t just servers to the clientele," Yifan alludes with a soft tone, as if he’s not just told Yixing that he’s talking about one of his brothels. Yixing can only blink and swallow, wishing that he didn’t feel so startled by hearing those words. "I don’t think you’d enjoy it much there."

"You never know, I may simply just want to be with you." Yixing kisses Yifan’s chin in an effort to confirm what he said. "It’s not like I’m going to want to want anything other than alcohol whilst I’m there."

"And me," Yifan snorts cockily, to which Yixing rolls his eyes.

"Yes, I’ll also want you the whole time we’re there," Yixing

"That sounds like a good argument for me taking you. I’d hate it if you were to want me when I’m not around to take care of you."

Yifan’s hands slip into the front of Yixing’s swimming shorts and Yixing pushes him away and stepping back from him, slipping behind the bar to pour him a drink.

"I’ll never understand how you have such a large sexual appetite. Especially since I stayed in bed with you for most of the morning, as per your request." Yixing takes out the decanted whisky from the tray of liquor, getting some ice into a glass before pouring the drink over it and pushing it towards Yifan. "How can your body even recover that quickly?"

"If you could see yourself, you’d understand why it’s so difficult to keep my hands off you, you’d get why I want to be all over you constantly." Yifan takes up his drink, pausing midway through changing to have a sip of it. "You have no idea what you do to my body."

"Well, keep your hands to yourself until we’re alone again," Yixing warns, observing how Yifan moves. "I don’t want to weird Lu Han out too much, he’s still adjusting to the idea of us being together, okay?"

"Sure, sure," Yifan dismisses, waving his hand once his own swimming shorts are on and he can drape his and Yixing’s towels over his shoulder. "I can’t guarantee anything, though, not when it comes to being able to keep my hands off you."

"You wouldn’t be you if you actually had self-control," Yixing snipes playfully over his shoulder as he walks out into the sunlight of outside.

Lu Han and Kevin are already in the water when they get there, both calling for them to get into the pool, which Yixing does immediately. Yifan puts his whisky down first then follows Yixing in, taking Yixing by the hips until Yixing wraps his legs around his waist. Yixing looks at Lu Han as he draws closer to Yifan and he seems okay with the action, even when Yifan’s hands slip down to Yixing’s ass to hold him more tightly to his body.

The four of them swim, playing around with each other, especially when a ball is thrown into the pool, which has them dividing up into two teams to try and see who can volley to one another the most. Yixing lets out a short huff when Yifan picks kevin over him, claiming that whilst he knows Kevin's skill level in the game, he doesn't know Yixing's.

In fact, with that knowledge, Yifan comes across as if he assumes he and Kevin will be the winners. Yixing and Lu Han, however, as the other two come to learn, are extremely competitive. Both have brilliant hand-eye-coordination and can still touch the floor - even if they are on the very tips of their toes.

When Yixing and Lu Han fall behind in points, Lu Han whispers in Yixing's ear to distract Yifan in any way he can. And Yixing knows just what to say and do to his boyfriend to take his mind off the game. It's all too easy, too. Even doing as little as touching over Yifan's chest, giving him little kisses on the cheeks, telling him just how attractive he looks when he's concentrating, is what has Yifan crumbling in Yixing's hands.

Kevin's the one that realises what's happening before Yifan does, Yifan too focused on trying to touch Yixing wherever and whenever he can, letting the ball go into dead water for Yixing to scoop up and toss to Lu Han.

"Hey, stop that," Kevin warns, pointing his finger directly at Yixing's chest. "You're not playing fairly, you know he can't help himself when it comes to you."

"If you have an asset, you use it," Lu Han jibes, shrugging his shoulders with the ball between his hands. "Surely that's something you've learnt in your line of work, no?"

Yixing laughs, Yifan's arms around his waist and his head resting on Yifan's shoulder as their two friends squabble over what's right and wrong in the game. Clearly taking full advantage of the other two being engrossed in their bantering, Yifan starts rock Yixing's groin against his hip, getting a single raised eyebrow from Yixing. When a small sigh slips out between Yixing's lips, Yifan holds him tighter to his body, driving a rumbling moan out from Yixing's throat.

Driven insane by Yifan’s controlled movement of Yixing's hips, Yixing interrupts Lu Han and Kevin to see if they want anything to drink, demanding that Yifan follow him to the summer house to help him mix the mint julep Kevin requests. It’s Yixing who shuts the doors and pulls Yifan to the bed, kicking off his swimming shorts and laughing as Yifan voices his approval.

Yixing’s sure he still has a dazed look about him as he slips back into the pool, ignoring the knowing look Lu Han throws him as Yifan hands them both the drinks they’d hastily made when they were done.

"I’m surprised the ice didn’t melt with how long it took you to make these," Kevin comments, being purposely provocative

It’s Lu Han who sidles up to Yixing, whispering over the water, "If you want to secretly fuck someone, don’t accidently leave scratch marks all over their tattooed back."

Yixing quirks an eyebrow, stealing a gulp of Lu Han’s vodka mixer, teasing, "Who said it was by accident?"

 

≈≈≈

 

As Yixing pulls a red silk shirt on over his chest, he knows it was a terrible idea to let Lu Han choose the outfit he's going to wear to the bar. He's wearing the tightest trousers he owns, too, which Lu Han says make even Yixing's ass look at least average. Yifan dresses himself first and is putting on a gold necklace and wristwatch as Yixing turns, asking if he should wear a brown or black belt. Yifan chooses the black and tells Yixing to wait for a moment, going to the box he keeps all his jewelry in.

He puts two necklaces around Yixing's neck, one that's leather tethered and another that's a silver version of the shimmering chain Yifan has on. "I need to buy you some rings, you'd look so pretty with them on."

Yifan starts to hum, twiddling with Yixing's hair to neaten it up when he goes to get a small pot of hair gel, smoothing Yixing's look over. Naming Yixing, "A vision of handsomeness," as he steps back from Yixing to give him a once over.

Kevin calls through the house, telling them to hurry up and get into one of the cars before they're too late. Yixing exits the room first, Yifan not too far behind him carrying two jackets, as he's sure Yixing will get cold as the night progresses. Lu Han is stood by the door and the sound of a car engine rumbles, being all Yixing needs to know that Kevin's gotten into the car and has started it up.

"Wow, Yixing," Lu Han gapes slightly, leaning forwards to toy with the necklaces around Yixing's neck. "Yifan, are you sure you want to let Yixing go to a bar dressed like this?"

"Do you really think people will have the gall to bother Yixing whilst I'm in my own establishment?" Yifan's challenge is brought with such confidence that Yixing's face flushes, his attraction to Yifan rising as he's tugged in by his waist to be held like the most precious object in Yifan's life. "Anyway, Yixing's a good boy. Aren't you?"

Yixing looks up at Yifan, grinning as he nods his head and walks in time with Yifan, behind Lu Han, to where Kevin's waiting for them. Yifan gets into the front, leaving Yixing and Lu Han to clamber into the back, nattering with the radio playing out into the car. The two people in the front speak lowly, only the sounds of their voices carrying and not the exact words between them. Yixing doesn't care to listen either. Instead, he ensures that what he talks about is enough to keep Lu Han involved with him, not giving his best friend a chance to listen in to Yifan and Kevin either.

When they pull up to the bar, it's in an area of the city Yixing's never ventured into before, and Lu Han looks very much the same as Yixing feels in his apprehensive state. It's upscale from the outside, however, Yixing knows what's going to wait inside. That sensation burning in Yixing's body doesn't slip away when they enter the establishment, his hand sweating as its held in Yifan's, and whilst Lu Han's face slips into one of gentle awe at what he sees, it's almost too overwhelming for Yixing. There are women almost everywhere, most of them dressed in beautifully fitted yet drastically short dresses. They're beautiful, too. Unbelievably so. Yixing almost wants to keep looking to take in what they all look like, to take in the sight of them oozing with gorgeous sexuality.

The men that spill out from the seats are familiar to Yixing, too. They're mainly the people Yixing saw at the dinner he went to with Yifan, the city's most elite and powerful men, most of them married with children, hands all over the girls they're sat with.

Everything's full of smoke and sound, creating a haze in Yixing's mind that he can't get rid of, even as he shakes his head. His discomfort must be evident, as Yifan's crowding his space almost instantly.

"It's okay, you'll be in a private room," Yifan reassures him with a gentle brush of air from his breath onto Yixing's neck. "Just keep Lu Han's hands to himself."

Kevin's the one that leads them across the floor, finding a mahogany coloured door that he opens up for the four of them feed through. They go down a small corridor and enter a room that comes off at the side, where there's three girls sat at an unmanned bar.

"I thought we'd find you all here," Yifan announces, enticing the women to twist on their bar tools to see who's entered.

All three of them pull their mouths up to smile at the sight of Yifan and Kevin, which morph into beams when their gazes slip to Lu Han and Yixing.

"Is one of these handsome men Yixing?" One with neck length hair asks, leaning against the bar behind her.

Yifan indicates to Yixing and confidently, almost proudly announces: "This is Yixing, Qian."

"The boss has told us all about you," one with longer but wavier hair informs Yixing, standing up from her seat to approach Yixing and take his hand from Yifan's, drawing him over to the group of them. "I'm Feifei."

"Hello," Yixing greets, bobbing his head politely.

"I'm Jia and this is Qian," the final girl introduces, gesturing to the girl that Yifan spoke to as well. "We've been told you like Manhattans, do you want one?"

"Well," Yixing hears Kevin sneer to Yixing, "it looks like Yixing's going to be made comfortable for the evening."

It's Qian that slips behind the bar and starts to shake Yixing's drink and Yixing shifts awkwardly when he's pushed down onto the stool Feifei had been occupying. The two remaining girls touch through Yixing's hair, complimenting how soft it feels between their fingers, even with gel in.

"Don't leave Lu Han out," Yifan calls into the room, sounding like he's moving further away and Yixing glances over his shoulder to see his suspicions confirmed, that both the gangsters are leaving the room to the hallway. "We'll leave you lovely ladies to entertain Yixing and Lu Han. And remember--"

"No one touches Yixing, we know, Boss," all three of them chime in unison.

Yixing knows without looking that Yifan's grinning at them knowing that well enough to respond in a mirror image as one another.

Still, the girls more or less ignore the fact that Yifan leaves, enveloping Lu Han into their huddle around the bar.

All three of them are welcoming, plying them both with drinks and stories about each other until they're all relaxed and laughing. There's a few lapses where all they can hear are the sounds of the music next door and the puffing Lu Han, Qian and Feifei are doing on their cigarettes. Jia seems more comfortable behind the bar, showing off her cocktail making skills to Lu Han, who's enthralled by the attention the three women are giving him.

Comfort grows between the quintet fast, Yixing assumes their occupations help, given that actors and prostitutes alike have to be personable to get along with those they come into contact with.

Qian brings up Yifan first to Yixing, leaning forwards until most of her torso is past Lu Han, "So, all the girls want to know, how's Boss in bed?"

Eyes wide and with a squeak of shock in his mouth, "Huh?"

"Come on, what kind of fuck is he?" Feifei questions, unleashing a list of suggestions that are supposed to help Yixing answer, "Hard? Soft? Fast? Gentle? Slow?"

"He's," Yixing tries to think of it over the screams in his head to bashfully hide himself away. "It depends on his mood or what he's been doing."

"What's it like after he's been working?"

"Do I have to answer?" Yixing cringes, mouth drying out.

"You're the only person we know who's been in Boss' bed," one of the girls reasons, attempting to use it as a reason for Yixing to divulge information about his and Yifan's sex life. He glances at Lu Han to help him, but Qian has him occupied, their mouths joined together in a liplock Yixing hadn't seen start.

"How about we do it this way: we give Yixing a series of scenarios and all he has to do is nod if we're right?" Jia pours Yixing out another drink, figuring that he's going to need it. "Are you cool with that?"

"I think I can do that..."

Pointing to herself and Jia, Feifei says, "We think he prefers it hard and fast. Qian thinks he likes to draw out his teasing. Are we right?"

Yixing looks down murmuring, "He doesn't seem to have a preference, it really depends on the time."

Qian pulls away from Lu Han's mouth, barely flinching as Lu Han's mouth slips to her neck, "Does he like giving head?"

Yixing moves in confirmation of her statement, images of Yifan between Yixing's legs late at night taking over his mind, how Yifan stares up over Yixing's navel at him to watch Yixing fall apart.

"More than getting it?"

That makes Yixing take a large gulp of his drink, he answers verbally, "Probably not."

Lu Han moves away from Yixing's neck to stare at him. "You put his dick... _in your mouth?"_

"Hey, you're the outlier in this room if you've never had a dick in your mouth before," Feifei snorts, actually pulling a laugh from Yixing as Lu Han rolls his eyes. "Anyway, is he into choking?"

A cold sensation washes Yixing over whilst he blanches, knocking his drink out of his own hand until it spills.

 _"Oh,_ I think that's something you like," Jia teases, tapping Yixing's nose, "which means Boss would definitely love it."

"Does he like to fuck from behind?"

"No preference, again, it's whatever he feels like." Yixing licks his lips, mouth working before he can stop it, "He's pretty particular about how he likes to be fucked, though."

All the girls let out gasps, shock rippling between them all as they bombard Yixing with a new line of questioning about what it's like to be the person that fucks Yifan, taking much more interest in that than anything else Yixing has had.

"Okay!" Yixing yelps quickly when the questions go into Yixing's own technique, "That's the end of that conversation!"

Lu Han is the one who steers the conversation after then, taking over the helm to discuss the kinds of antics the two best friends would get up to in their teen years. Yixing still feels flushed and shy by the time things simmer back down, bending his back until he's bowed towards the bar to disguise his blush.

Again, they drift in and out of speaking. Namely, however, because Qian and Feifei take it in turns to kiss with Lu Han. Yixing doesn't make much of an effort to strike up anything to talk about with Jia, his heart racing in his chest, bringing with it the awareness that he's far more conservative about his sexlife than the company he's keeping.

He doesn't know what to make of it when he hears one of the girls say, "Boss said we can't touch Yixing, but should _you_ want to have any fun, any one of the three of us are at your service. Free of charge, " to Lu Han. He feels his own face flame up and bows his head down to the bar, not knowing what to think of it when Lu Han answers in the affirmative.

He senses his best friend move away from the bar and off to a door that comes off the back wall of the room. When he's gone, Yixing peers up and sees only one of the girls left, who is Jia, he's sure of it. He doesn't like that the room is now silent, so he opens his mouth to make conversation. He stops midway. He's unsure of what say to her.

"Are you from around here?" Is what Jia opens with, instead, clearly seeing Yixing struggle.

"No, I'm from across the country. What about you?"

"The same. I'm from inland, not the coast." She moves around from the bar and sits next to Yixing, leaning against her hand. "The boss says you're here to act?"

"Yeah, and it's gone pretty well so far. Did you move here for any particular reason?" Yixing sips on his drink again, enjoying how it tastes in his mouth

"I, uh, didn't choose to come here." She looks down, shuffling awkwardly. "Not many of the girls came here by choice. The Boss has you brought here from wherever you're found from."

Yixing's stomach plummets, his face paling enough for him to _feel_ it happen. His fingers are trembling as he comes to the full realisation that part of Yifan's trade is people, not just things. He thinks about just how many women fill up the seats and booths of the main area of the bar; it's sickening enough to think, as it's been phrased by Jia, that _not many_ of the girls chose to work for Yifan.

"I need," he stumbles over both his words and his feet as he attempts to get to his feet, "I need the bathroom."

"There's one upstairs that I'm sure the boss would want you to use, rather than the ones for the clients." Jia doesn't appear to notice how Yixing's struggling to keep himself in line as he points out of the door and to the left.

Yixing follows her vague directions, clambering up the stairs with a light head and heavy feet, hoping to find the washroom as he tries to make an educated guess as to where it is. He tries a few doors, failing to find anything other than empty "bedrooms" until his sixth try when he comes across a bathroom.

Inside, there's a group of girls, all huddled around with one of them holding a spoon filled with a brown liquid, another is holding a lighter and then a third girl has a needle stuck into her arm. Yixing's not sure what's going on, so he races backwards, tripping over his shoes and fumbling for the wall to support himself. He hopes there's another bathroom somewhere on that floor, which he searches to even more before he swings open a door.

 _"Yixing,"_ he hears Yifan call out in a jolted voice once Yixing's hurtled through the door.

He looks up and sees Yifan approaching him, he glances past Yifan's body and sees a room with girls crowded around sofas. Some sit silently, staring at the walls, most of the others are crying, asking if they can go home. Yixing simply blinks until Yifan touches his face, turning Yixing from the huddled girls to look up at him instead. The mere sight of Yifan's face calms him, even if he knows Yifan's the reason why the girls are in such states.

"You shouldn't be up here." Fingers brush across Yixing's cheeks, as if he's the one that needs comfort in the room. "You should be downstairs."

"I was looking for the bathroom... But there were girls with a spoon and a needle--"

"In the bathroom up here?" Yifan queries. Yixing nods. "Kevin?"

"I'm already on it," Kevin responds, moving past them out to where Yixing has come from.

Yixing blinks as he hears fury drip from Kevin's voice as he yells, _"How many times have we told you not to do that in here? We won't give you any more if you do it here, do you hear me?"_

"You need the bathroom?"

"I did..." Yixing stammers softly, eyes darting back to the girls. "I do. I don't know."

Yifan takes Yixing by the shoulders and ushers him to the hallway again, down into a room that Yixing identifies as an office when he finally takes in his surroundings. Yixing shuffles back from Yifan to lean against a wall, hoping to be able to gather himself enough to think straight.

"Yixing..." Yifan starts, moving towards him, catching Yixing's wrist in his fingers. "You weren't supposed to see that."

"Just don't," Yixing takes his arm away from Yifan's hold. "Don't try to explain it to me. I don't want to know, I never want to know any of this, okay? I'm not curious. I'm not interested. I'm with you because I want to be _with you,_ not what you do."

"We don't treat them badly," Yifan continues anyway. "We give them things to help ease the pain, we give them lives better than what they could possibly make for themselves wherever they're from, we don't make them do _anything_ they don't want to."

"I said don't want to hear it!" Yixing yells, forming the first time he's ever raised his voice at Yifan and Yifan's eyes flame for a moment. Yixing reflexively pushes his arm out when Yifan comes close again.

He grabs Yixing by the jaw, it's not gentle and tender as it had been in the room with the girls, but reflexive to hold Yixing away from his body. "Don't hit me, Yixing."

"Don’t hold me so hard. I don’t like it," Yixing barks, shaking his head with Yifan loosening his grip immediately, realising how hard he’s holding him. Yixing whispers his next part, and Yifan's hand moves from his face, curling around his waist instead, "I'm sorry. I don't know what to do. I don't want to hear anything else. I didn’t realise… I'm just overwhelmed."

"I know you are," Yifan hums, calming Yixing with circular motions on his lower back. "I'm sorry for grabbing you, I'm really sorry... You weren't supposed to see that because I don't want you to leave me. I'm sorry, Yixing."

Yixing kisses the side of Yifan's mouth, "I wouldn't leave you now. I don't think I could."

"I'll get someone to take you home."

"No, I," Yixing murmurs, "I don't want to be alone. I want to be with you."

"Xing, I've got work..." Yifan trails off, still not releasing Yixing yet.

"Is it something Kevin can do?" Yixing wraps his arms around Yifan's neck, widening his eyes as he looks up at him.

Yifan contemplates it for a moment, conceding, "Probably."

"Then stay here with me."

"Wait here, I'll tell Kevin," Yifan kisses Yixing's forehead once, firmly enough for it to relax Yixing in an ebb of warmth.

Yixing watches Yifan go and sits himself on the couch at the end of the room, curling up on it with his arms around his legs. When Yifan slips back in through the door, Yixing holds his arms out to him and Yifan goes into them. Yifan readjusts them as they rest on the cushions, he lays Yixing out on top of him until Yixing's head is on his chest, fingers running through Yixing's hair like a child being soothed by its parent.

"Go to sleep, Xing," Yifan rumbles lowly. "We'll go home when you wake up."

 

≈≈≈

 

Yifan makes an effort for Yixing to not be involved in any of his work from that night onwards. Yixing is sure to not ask about anything, even if he does get letters from Feifei, Jia, and Qian reaching out to be their only friend outside of the life they're living under Yifan's reign. Yixing does reply to them, though, telling them about what working on movies is like and he even invites them over a few times. They like being around him because he expects nothing. They like Yifan, too, as he really did show them an upgrade from the lives they once lived.

That helps Yixing to sleep soundly at night, knowing that Yifan really does keep to the ethos of weighing up the good with the bad.

Nevertheless, filming wraps up quickly with lots of money left in the bank and Yixing searches for his next projects. Studios vye for his attention, giving him preliminary scripts to go through and Yixing only considers the ones with happier plot lines, hoping to keep things bright in his life through the winter.

He does get a couple of weeks off and Yifan whisks him away to a beach house Yixing didn't know Yifan has. It's pretty cold there, but Yixing enjoys himself. Spending time with Yifan is more than enough to make him feel unfurled, breathing in clean air and falling further in love with the man his heart's chosen.

It's like the world doesn't exist outside of them.

Like Yifan doesn't have an empire of debauchery, decadence and death waiting him when he returns.

The glowing feeling of a vacation bleeds into their time at home. Yixing throws himself into his work again with vigor, practicing as much as he can until he's given a few days off to attend the premiere of Huang Bo's film.

Everything's so golden, right up until everything goes to charcoal.

 

≈≈≈

 

Fitted tuxedos are one of Yixing's least favourite things. Yifan looks like he's the film star when he steps out of the car ahead of Yixing. There are a few cameras there for the newspapers, all of which want to get shots of Yifan and Yixing together. Other than that, they go in with very little fanfare, taking their seats to wait until the opening credits play through. Yifan kisses Yixing's cheek whenever he's in shot, snorting whenever Yixing has a kissing scene with one of the women his character takes a liking to.

Once it's done, Yixing pouts, turning to Yifan, "I'm never coming to a premiere of one of my films again. I hate watching myself."

"No, we're going to the first showing of every movie you ever make."

Yixing can't talk back to Yifan, as they're interrupted by one of Yixing's co-stars asking if they're going to the hotel that the after party is being hosted at. Yixing doesn't want to go, he wants to go home and lounge around with Yifan, especially since the cherry blossoms around Yifan's house have gone into full bloom in the late march air.

About to decline, Yixing's heart falls when Huang Bo comes over, demanding that the cast and crew have a drink together to celebrate the end of such a bumpy ride with the film. Again, he would have declined, had Yifan not said, "I drove us here because I knew you wouldn't want to stick around, so we can stay for one drink and leave."

The drink Yixing's given is one he hates, a glass of red wine that matches Huang Bo's and Huang Lei's. He's made to stand apart from Yifan, who evidently knows someone in the room as he begins to talk casually with someone at the bar. Yixing makes several glances over there as Huang Bo makes his toast, wanting to be back to Yifan's side as soon as he can be so they can leave.

Despite not being able to stomach the taste of wine, Yixing lifts his glass and takes a sip once the speech has been completed.

Being intercepted by Huang Bo on his journey back to Yifan was not in Yixing's plan, shifting uncomfortably on his feet with each second that passes.

"I want to thank you, Yixing," Huang Bo opens with and Yixing looks at him straight on. "This film couldn't have happened without you, you know that, right?"

"It's no big deal anymore, Sir." He tries to skip around past the director but his sleeve gets caught. "Really."

"No, Yixing, _I'm_ sorry." Huang Bo holds Yixing's arm in a firm grasp. "I forced you into the life - and bed - of a monster when you didn't want to. I admire you for the effort you made for this, especially when you didn't want to. You shouldn't have had to do that for money, to be a _whore_ for a gang leader to fund my fil-"

Huang Bo's hand gets ripped away from Yixing's sleeve and is replaced by another, one that's far more forceful. And Yixing feels choked up even though the grip isn't on his throat.

The way Yifan holds Yixing’s wrist hurts as he practically drags him outside, Yifan growling at the valet to bring his car around immediately, which the young boy scrambles to do so. Yixing tries to pull his arm out of Yifan’s grip, whimpering when it tightens and he’s silenced when Yifan shoots him what can only be described as a deadly look. Crying silently, Yixing waits for the car to appear and tumbles over himself when he’s shoved into it by Yifan.

Throughout the entire journey back to the house, Yifan drives erratically, spiking Yixing’s heart rate to a level its never been at before. Yixing doesn’t try to speak, fearful of what would be the result with Yifan hurtling between cars at such a speed. Even when he parks in front of the house, it jolts Yixing in his seat to the point where his hands slam into the glove compartment in front of him. Yifan gets out of the car, slamming the door behind him, and Yixing scrambles out after him. Still crying. His legs feeling like liquid as they make it into the house, that feeling only worsening when Yifan takes one of the vases from one of the tables and throws it down the hallway.

Yixing doesn’t hold back from following Yifan up the stairs, straight to Yifan’s side as the man pours himself a drink.

"I’m so sorry," is all Yixing can get out, repeating it over and over until his voice breaks.

Yifan’s grip on the glass he’s holding tightens as he moves to be behind his desk.

"It’s true, then?" Betraying what Yixing knows, Yifan’s voice makes him appear calm and rational. There’s something in Yifan’s eyes that Yixing can see as plain as day, the dark, unhinged appearance of fury that takes over the gentle gazes Yixing usually receives.

Not missing a beat, Yixing nods his head in the affirmative, tongue too dry to say anything at all. Yixing feels like he’s dissolving inside, like he’s disappearing into nothingness as Yifan looks at him, devoid of all care and affection. Yixing thinks that’s going to be the last thing he ever sees from Yifan.

"Tell me everything," Yifan demands.

Yixing searches for the words and comes up with nothing, unable to move his mouth or tongue fast enough to get anything out. He knows his stuttering and fumbling will only drive Yifan to further impatience, but he can’t help it. He doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t know what he can do to make anything better.

Yifan repeats what he said, only this time he screams it at Yixing so wrathfully that Yixing curls in on himself slightly, the words hitting him like a physical blow.

Words rush out of Yixing then, a barrage of explanations of him saying, "I’m sorry. I was only doing what I was asked, please forgive me," continually until Yifan raises his arm into the air.

The glass hurtles past Yixing's head, not dangerously near but close enough that he can hear it whizz through the air at a rate of knots. Yifan's a man with impeccable aim and Yixing knows that he would have been hit by the tumbler had Yifan wished for it to. It was a warning shot of sorts. One that only increased the number of tears spilling from Yixing's eyes.

He feels like a toddler being heavily reprimanded by one of its parents, fingers bunched up into his fists are balled and his nose leaking as much fluid as his eyes. He doesn’t want Yifan to be angry with him anymore, he wants to be dealt his punishment - no matter what it may be - and have it all over with. He doesn’t like the way heartbreak feels in his chest and he doesn’t want Yifan to feel that either.

"Hit me," he tells Yifan between his sobs. "If it'll make you feel better, just hit me."

In that moment, Yixing realises why the saying says to never poke a sleeping lion - because no one would be stupid enough to dare touch one when it's rampaging through the world, already flown into a fit of rage. Because if Yifan were a lion, he certainly is not sleeping, he's poised to attack and retaliate in the way he knows how. It's why Yixing doesn't flinch when Yifan raises his arm, rings still on his fingers to dress them up like a regal knuckleduster, and Yixing mutters, "just hit me, just hit me, just hit me," over and over again.

Instead of the blow coming down on Yixing's cheek, it reaches a lamp that Yifan flings across the room. The glass bulb shatters and breaks on the flooring, right next to where Yixing collapses down.

"Please hit me," he begs, and Yifan still does nothing to him, he explodes around the room in order to break, tear and rip anything he can. Yixing cries into the hardwood below his head and he wishes for the world to consume him whole.

"I love you," he whimpers, half hoping that Yifan wouldn't be able to hear him.

"No, you don't," Yifan yells, almost screaming at Yixing. "You're just using me. You're playing with my head and fucking me over for some sick game, for money."

Yixing feels the vibrations of Yifan's footsteps through the flooring and holds his breath when he senses Yifan stop by the top of his head. Yixing doesn't dare to move, only letting himself quiver with the natural shudders of his sobs. He doesn't know what's going on when he's lifted up by his hair, the locks of it twined painfully between Yifan's fingers. He scrambles to his feet and lets himself hang limp, hoping that it'll finally be the moment when Yifan does what Yixing knows he wishes to.

Yifan wants and craves power, and it breaks Yixing's heart because he knows that's what Yifan must be hurt over. He's hurt because he thinks Yixing's drawn him in on purpose, to wrap Yifan around his little finger and take everything he can from him. Yifan's not angry because he's heartbroken, and Yixing thinks that's what hurts him the most.

"Don't tell someone that you love them if you don't mean it," is what rumbles out of Yifan's mouth.

"I do mean it," Yixing finds the voice to say, eyes cast up to Yifan. He knows he looks pathetic and he cannot bring himself to care anymore. "I love you."

"I don't believe you."

"Then hurt me, do what you want with me, and I won't mind. Because I love you, I won't mind if you kill me tonight, I won't mind if you treat me like one of your traitors. Do as you please because I'll hand myself wholly over to you to prove that I mean it when I say that I love you."

Yixing's scalp hurts, his hair still bound up between Yifan's fingers, and still he lets himself dangle there slightly. He feels like he's given up, like he can't do anything more, and he wishes Yifan would do something. He's infinitely shocked that Yifan's done nothing to actively hurt him. Yixing's not bloodied and bruised, curled up in the troughs made by the roots of the old cherry blossoms, he's still breathing and only his eyes and head sting.

Yifan's hand comes up to cup at Yixing's sodden cheek, caressing it before retracting the touch quickly, and Yixing thinks to himself: this is it.

Instead of finally feeling a fist against his cheek, he’s released to fall to the ground like he’s a bag of bones, barely having the chance to get his hands out in front of him to brace himself.

It seems that Yifan doesn’t care, as he steps away without flinching.

The anger is gone from his voice when he speaks next, each word coming out more like a whisper, "How could you do this to me? I let you in, I brought you into my home and I did everything I thought you’d want me to."

Yixing pushes himself up onto his knees, until he’s back to kneeling in front of Yifan again, fingers curling into the press-ironed slacks on Yifan’s legs.

"I mean it, I promise," Yixing mutters, enunciating every letter that he can. He wants to show his sincerity, to give some weight to his words and make Yifan listen to the truths he’s speaking.

"I even fell in love with you, can you believe that? I thought that you wanted me just as I am, I trusted that enough to fall in love with you." Yixing rubs his eyes with his sleeve and sees that Yifan’s cheeks are damp with tears, too. His mouth curls down as well, portraying the sad appearance of inner emptiness. There’s a ripple of happiness that surges through Yixing’s heart as he realises that Yifan was showing a small vulnerable part of himself, that he was finally privy to something in Yifan that so few people had seen before. That expression only stays for a few more fleeting moments before Yifan laughs humourlessly to himself and runs his fingers through his hair  "I didn’t think someone like me would ever deserve to fall in love and I guess I was wrong about that; maybe what I don’t deserve is to have someone truly love me back."

Yifan takes a few steps back, out of Yixing’s grip, and stands there silently before he turns on his heel and walks away. He walks right out of the study and Yixing scrambles to his feet, tripping over them as he stumbles after Yifan. The momentary happiness of hearing Yifan say that he loves him disappears into fear, not of what Yifan may do to him, but of Yifan disappearing from his life entirely. He doesn’t want what makes him happy to keep moving away from him.

The route to their bedroom is familiar and the only obstacle in Yixing’s way is the door once Yifan has slammed it shut. It opens under Yixing's hand and he stands a few metres into the room. Yifan's sitting on the bed already, head in his hands, and Yixing can be certain he's crying. He moves slowly around to his boyfriend, kneeling before him and taking Yifan's hands into his own.

"I love you, I promise with all my heart," Yixing whispers, putting Yifan's palms to his chest. "Punish me however you wish and I'll still love you. I'll do anything you want."

"Do you really love me? Do you really feel like," Yifan's voice shakes as tears track down his cheeks, "like you've been forced into this with me?"

"No, no," Yixing attempts to reassure, "I love you, I _want_ to be with you. After everything, I've had so many ways out of your life. I would have taken any one of them if I didn't love you so much."

Yixing stands up and moves Yifan's shoulders back, placing himself on his boyfriend's lap and cradling his face. Yifan looks so emotionally exposed, eyes wider and hands tentatively going to rest on Yixing's hips.

"In the beginning, it wasn't honest but it was only then." Yixing tilts his head down, resting his forehead on Yifan's. "Even before I told you about how badly the film was doing, I'd changed my mind about you. I wanted to do what was right by as many people as I could and I didn't think I'd feel as much for you as I do, so I didn't see the harm. But I do love you now and I've known since the day you properly met Lu Han. Please, please, please, forgive me."

He moves in to kiss Yifan, thankful that he's not pushed away, loosening up as Yifan's lips move in time with his, clinging to Yixing's body as if he's scared Yixing will be the one to leave him.

"Who made you do it?" Yifan mumbles against Yixing's mouth. "Whose idea was it?"

"No, I just went along with it, trying to help," he condenses everything down to clarify. "Huang Bo asked me to do it, he's my boss and I only wanted to hel-"

"You were trying to be thoughtful," Yifan continues for him, pulling him down onto the bed. He lets go of Yixing as soon as he's laid out properly, though. "I want to sleep alone tonight and talk more in the morning."

Yixing understands, still wanting to do anything to make Yifan feel better, so he stands upright easily and kisses Yifan's temple before he leaves the room. He goes to the spare room and strips out of his clothing, getting under the duvet, letting himself cry into the pillow with trembling fingers. As comforting as those final moments were with Yifan, Yixing doesn't know what the next day will entail.

He hardly sleeps despite his eyes aching with the tiredness of crying. He doesn't know what he'll do if Yifan doesn't forgive him. His life has been shifted and distorted by being with Yifan, he's so in love with Yifan that he's sure being apart from Yifan would be worse than dying.

 

≈≈≈

 

The scream that pitches through the house frightens Yixing awake.

He rushes to put his clothes on, shouting, _"Yifan? Yifan? Yifan?"_ all as he follows the sound to the lowest floor of the building. Yixing's feet skid along the floor as he rounds corners, dashes down the stairs, and hurtles down the corridors. When he gets to one of Yifan's workrooms, he doesn't hesitate to push the door open.

"Yifan!" He cries out, startling the man in question from what he's doing.

The single image in front of Yixing makes his stomach churn so much he throws up what little he has in his stomach from the day before. He doesn't care if it lands on his bare feet or if his throat burns, all he can see is blood.

Huang Bo's blood.

It's spattered over Yifan, across the walls and in smudged splodges on the flooring below. Yifan's chest is heaving, his fingers equally as adorned in red as Yixing can possibly imagine. It looks like Yifan's hands are bleeding, too, that's how much blood Yixing can see there. Huang Bo's face has been left in tact, his body is where Yifan's damage appears, wetting his clothing and dyeing it from it's pearly white.

Yifan drops Huang Bo's body down to the floor, preferring to be at Yixing's side than indulge in his violent act. He takes Yixing out of his puddle of vomit, removing his own shirt to clean Yixing's mouth and feet - uncaring that he may transfer blood to Yixing's skin in the process. He places Yixing down into the chair, petting his head as he stands next to it, petting through his hair as Yixing relaxes against his thigh.

"I should have killed Yixing last night," Yifan hums like he's talking about the weather. "But I can't ever hurt him. I love him far too much to ever cause him any kind of harm. When I am betrayed, however, there's always a blame to be placed somewhere, and that punishment needs to be dealt to all involved. And, you see, I know Yixing cares for others too much and I'm aware that you were the person who put this betrayal into action. You manipulated the person I love for your own gain, you forced him to do something he didn’t wish to, and that I cannot forgive you for.

"I think this punishment is worthy enough for the both of you. Yixing, surely, wants you to come to no harm at all, and well, you, you don't want to have fractured ribs and broken arms. It's a shame we couldn't get to your legs before Yixing was woken up. I feel like I should kill you for what you put Yixing through, but he’d only feel guilty himself for your mistakes."

Yixing's looking up at Yifan, his exhausted body too tired to even cry, doesn't let him shed a tear as Yifan speaks. He still touches Yixing's head like he adores him, and it's mirrored in how he gazes down at Yixing. It may have felt like a moment between the two of them, had Yifan not been so covered in blood. Had Huang Bo not been curled in on himself on the floor, coughing up blood from his lungs.

"I love you," Yixing whimpers, nudging his face against Yifan's thigh. "I'm sorry. Please don't hurt him anymore."

"I told him I'd stop when you came, Love," Yifan informs him, shifting off Yixing's touch to approach Huang Bo once more.

Yifan goes to the phone and dials a number, he doesn't say anything but puts the phone back down after five seconds. In under five minutes, a group of men appear and collect up Huang Bo's body, two of them carrying him out of the room and the others cleaning up the mess that Yifan created around him. The dizziness sustains itself in Yixing's head, leaving him feeling like he's unravelling and suspended above some kind of void. He didn't ever expect to find Yifan beating Huang Bo, not half to death.

Upon returning to Yixing's side, Yifan lifts him up and he rests limply to Yifan's chest. Each and every part of his body screams out for him to drift into a dormant state, with Yifan's body so close to his own and the restlessness of the previous night plagues him so readily.

He's brought to his and Yifan's shared bedroom, placed onto the unmade bed and tucked under the duvet with gentle hands. He's already drifting off to sleep when a warm cloth cleans up his skin completely, washing him as best as it can without him needing to properly bathe. Going under, slipping into sleep, Yixing senses a body beside his own that he knows his body moves closer to, searching for love and heat.

 

≈≈≈

 

Yixing hasn’t been able to look at Yifan properly for the past week or so. Visions of what had happened in one of the basement rooms all vivid behind his eyes at even a glimpse of Yifan’s silhouette.

It’s at night when, in the dark, Yixing touches Yifan’s skin and reassures him that he still loves him, he’s simply adjusting to life with new memories in his head.

Yifan sobs as he apologises each night, asking for Yixing’s forgiveness for everything he’s done, telling Yixing that he never meant to hurt him. Yixing reasons with himself that it’s an eye for an eye; the gaping hole in Yifan’s trust in him matches the one that resides in his trust in Yifan. It’s when he’s too tired for everything that Yixing decides to swallow everything down and face his boyfriend again.

When Yifan’s eating breakfast in the dining room, Yixing leads him outdoors with his whole body trembling under the April morning light. Yifan doesn’t say anything, he merely follows behind Yixing like every step Yixing takes is one to be admired. Yixing kisses Yifan under the trees he loves so much, moving down to the floor where he invites Yifan to join him. They pull at the grass around the roots of the trees, both of them making small piles of the green blades before the wind blows them away to leave only a few tendrils remaining.

"We both lost control," Yixing airs out, saying the words he feels need to be said. "Everything escalated too fast and it became something it didn’t need to be. If I had managed to be more honest, no one would have gotten hurt. If I had been… stronger, I never would have caved in so easily to my boss. If you had, kept this between us, even if we did have interventions in out beginning by a third party, it wouldn’t have been so messy."

"I know." Yifan toys with a ring he’s wearing. "My life runs so differently to yours. In the world I’m absorbed in, physicality speaks more than eloquence, actions really do speak louder than words. And I forget that this isn’t _you,_ that this life is not a reflection of what you really want. Sometimes I’m heavy handed, even with you, and I’m sorry. The worst part is that I’m unlikely to change; I’ll still want to kill anyone that does you any harm."

"I’m not asking for you to change, I’m not asking for anything much, other than communicating. I don’t want you to make decisions about my life and how the people in it should be treated, I _would_ like your guidance at times but that’s it. I know I’ll never change you and how much you love what you do."

"You just want to have your arm’s length distance?" Yifan suggests and Yixing nods his head.

"I don’t want bloodied rooms and people around me, I want to be able to seperate things out."

"We can try," tells him in earnest.

Yixing doesn’t have high hopes, but it rekindles something within him - meaning that evening if they’re not high ones, his hopes are still very much there.

 

≈≈≈

 

He left the house compound for the first time since the premiere in the morning and returned by evening, his body trembling with nerves he didn’t realise he has. Yifan’s there, waiting for him, unlike previous times, as if he knew Yixing was going to return home fragile and drained.

They take a walk, talking about their days but not using much detail at all, not wanting to brush too closely to the subject of Yifan’s work. Rather, they sit by the pool with their trousers rolled up to dip their feet in, moving their legs around until ripples drift out across the surface.

"Sometimes, I feel like my chest is tight and restricted," he confesses with the sun setting down to the skyline as his backdrop. "It comes with this sense of fear. Of doom. I don’t know what it means but it frightens me. I get it most at work, when I’m around lots of people or when I see someone from my last project."

Yifan looks over at him in sympathy, wiping up Yixing’s tears as they drip from his eyes, and the tender stillness of the evening feels like the comedown from their fight, where they’re picking up the pieces from whatever was leftover.

It’s clear to Yixing that Yifan doesn’t know what to say about what Yixing’s told him. He does his best with what he can do and that’s show his love and appreciation for Yixing, kissing him slowly and carefully, like he’s trying to breath for Yixing instead.

They trail around other spots of the garden, taking to sprawl out beneath the trees in bloom. Yixing is able to ignore the rings on Yifan’s fingers still encrusted with dried blood when Yifan kisses all over his face and down his neck.

Yixing isn’t keeping track as Yifan divests them of their clothes, only feeling the grass against his back and the light breeze on his skin. He isn’t getting cold, not with Yifan’s body over his and with the heat coming from his skin where Yifan leaves kisses. Instead, his skin feels like it’s about to ignite. He loves having Yifan so close after being so reticent for the last couple of weeks. It’s like he’s taking his time in showing his true self once more.

With the petals floating and drifting on zephyrs, Yixing wonders how the man above him can be so brutal and unforgiving to so many, yet soft-touched when it comes to seeing Yixing’s bare skin again. Yixing moves upwards to join their lips, widening the gap between his legs for Yifan to lay between them more comfortably. He holds Yifan’s hands tightly as Yifan enters him, taking his time and making sure to lave Yixing’s chest in butterfly kisses that last for barely a second.

The tightening in his chest slips to the back of his mind with Yifan rocking into him, small hiccups and gasps fill in the empty spaces between them.

"Please don’t leave me," he sighs into Yifan’s ear when he’s brought up to sit on Yifan’s lap, becoming the one to move his hips to continue their intimacy on. "I’ll never leave you. No matter what you do, I’ll always be by your side."

Yifan groans with a deeper grumble as Yixing speaks to him, nodding his head with each word Yixing says. His version of, "Don’t leave me, I won’t leave you," has Yixing’s chest swelling, despite being condensed and less eloquent as it is.

Their foreheads press together, their hair trapped between the skin, and the more they move together, the more their noses and lips bump, giving him fleeting kisses to accent their heavy breathing. It’s sweet, reflecting the smell and sights of the immediate world around them. Yixing doesn’t want to stop, not even for a moment, certainly when he’s laid back again and penetrated with more depth of movement. For the first time in two weeks, his breathing labours from something other than fear.

His chest heaves as he cums, Yifan’s name broken up by exhales, and it’s the same in likeness when Yifan orgasms, warmth pulsing into Yixing. He keeps his ankles hooked together around Yifan’s waist, not wanting to let Yifan slip away from him. And that’s when he reaches up to Yifan’s hair.

Lying under the cherry blossom trees, Yixing brushes the pink petals from Yifan’s hair whenever they drift into it. He doesn’t understand how someone so violent treats him so tenderly.

 

≈≈≈

 

It's an evening event, one Yixing's been invited to and has managed to snag a plus-one for, when Yixing next properly faces the public again after the premiere. There are enough familiar faces around to cause an upset inside him, fingers trembling as he remembers the events of that night and the morning after with every person he worked with on that project.

Yifan stays by his side, though, holding his hand and his waist to be a comforting presence that shows him that everything can be okay.

Lu Han's there, with his three dates in Jia, Feifei and Qian, which Yixing can't help but comment: "Well, that's why it was so hard for me to get an extra invite for Yifan, it's because you stole everyone else's."

They're the difference between the premiere, they're what helps Yixing get through the night as a sense of anxiety overwhelms the more time he spends there. He feels Yifan's presence, his attuned wariness to what's going on in Yixing's head, and he plasters himself to Yifan's side. People pass comment about that when they think neither Yixing nor Yifan can hear them, and usually, it would have hurt Yixing. Yet, this time, Yixing's mind's all over the place.

"I don't feel so good," he murmurs in Yifan's ear as they sit down to eat the dinner. "It's like I can't breathe again."

"Come on, we'll go outside," Yifan tells him once their drink orders have been taken, holding Yixing by the hand until they reach a garden area where a few people are smoking.

A few set, purposeful looks from Yifan has them rushing indoors, leaving the two of them alone.

"Is it easier to breathe out here?" Yifan asks, hand rest on Yixing's neck and his fingernails scratching lightly over Yixing's hairline.

"Kind of. Inside, it's so claustrophobic." Yixing undoes his tie, which Yifan takes over and un-toggles the buttons of Yixing's shirt collar. "Every time I see certain people, it gets worse."

Yifan doesn't seem confused by it, he rubs Yixing's arms up and down, and starts to breathe in deeply enough for Yixing to know Yifan means for him to copy. Being able to do that is enough of a distraction to what's going on inside the room for Yixing to run his hands through his hair.

"Do I have to go back in there?"

Glancing at his watch, Yifan replies, "The car is supposed to collect us at eleven. I'll need to find a phone for someone to come earlier, if you want to leave now. That means it'll be around twenty to forty minutes before anyone gets here, can you wait that long?"

"I guess I'm going to have to." Yixing cedes his hope of a swift exit and bows his head down.

"Are you okay to go back in and sit with Lu Han and the girls? I don't know how long it'll be before I get to use a telephone."

Saying yes, even if he's completely unsure, Yixing heads back inside and and finds his best friend, latching onto him as best as he can. The girls are more conscious of Yixing's slightly frazzled state, passing him cups of water and feeling his head for a temperature, Lu Han simply looks at Yixing with an indiscernible expression before asking a waiter to bring them a cool, damp cloth.

When the server returns, he pats Yixing's forehead and face with it, and that only flusters Yixing more. People turn to look at him, wondering why he’s being fussed over as much as he is. Some older women ask if he’s okay, Lu Han replies to them and Yixing can barely concentrate on what’s going on around him. He worries for himself, in the midst of it all, as the spinning starts again, this time creeping closer in on him.

"Xing," he hears, hands reaching blindly for Yifan, who cuddles him close. "You’re okay, I’m here."

They stand up and move to the entrance area, Yifan goes to the cloakroom desk to grab their jackets once he’s put Yixing on one of the chairs that line the hallway. Yixing sees someone coming closer to him and, thinking it’s Yifan, he gets to his feet, only for all wind to be knocked out of him. Huang Bo’s as still as Yixing is when they meet eyes.

"I’m sorry," is all Yixing manages to say before he hurrying in the opposite direction, looking for Yifan.

When he gets there, he rams straight into Yifan’s chest, where he’s caught, his voice coming out frail as he whimpers, "Take me home, take me home. I don’t want to come to any of these things ever again. Please, Yifan, take me home."

In the car, where Yixing cries into Yifan’s jacket, held by the person he loves, the sense of safety sinks into his bones. Yifan doesn’t rush him or force him to talk, he lets Yixing listen to his heartbeat and use it as a reminder to not regret anything he’s done.

 

≈≈≈

 

Lu Han sits down with Yixing, both of them cradling cups of tea between their hands. The night’s dark outside, Yifan’s cars are gone from the driveway, needing them for the work he’s tending to, but Yixing doesn’t care for what. He only minds if Yifan will be there when he falls asleep at night.

In particular, that night, he isn’t. He’s out of the city for a few days and Yixing’s invited Lu Han over to keep him company, not wanting to grow too lonely. Without asking, Yixing can pick up on how Lu Han is regarding him, that his best friend has a bundle of questions he turned up to the house with. Yixing doesn’t know what to expect, but it’s certainly not worried eyes and a frowning mouth.

"Are you okay?" Is the first.

Yixing answers honestly, in that he’s simultaneously doing better and worse. The closeness and intensity he feels with Yifan increases day by day, as does that unsolvable sense of anxiety in his chest. Since he saw Huang Bo, since that clear as day reminder of what happened, Yixing can’t think straight at random times.

He can’t explain all of that, of course, as Lu Han doesn’t know what had occurred in the house, so he alludes to a fight, one that’s events have caused a shift in Yixing. A worry that Yifan will desert him with this bundle of unexplained emotion in his chest. What he does say is that he struggles to sleep when Yifan’s not there, that not having a body to surround him in the consistent feeling of safety has him awake all hours, or worse, troubled with nightmares.

It’s clear that Lu Han tries his best. He sleeps in the bed with Yixing, he tries to hold him through the night terrors and guides Yixing through when his breathing goes. Still, it’s barely enough for one night.

The second night is worse, nightmares litter every moment of unconsciousness until it makes him feel suffocated. Lu Han panics and goes straight to the phone, dialling the number written down next to the device for Yixing to get through to the house Yifan’s using for his business. It’s not Yifan who answers but Lu Han tells them to pass the message on with a high degree of importance.

An hour or two passes with Yixing going between periods of barely being able to breathe when he hears cars and the front door slam shut.

 _"Yixing!"_ He hears is called through the house, running footsteps bounding towards the bedroom until Yifan comes in, out of breath and worried. The shirt Yifan’s wearing is wrinkled up, a spare one, because Yixing’s gut tells him that the sight of Yifan’s original shirt would make him feel even worse.

He falls asleep, sat upright, Yifan apologising between questions of, _"What have I done to you?"_ given in whispers next to his ear.

It doesn’t matter to Yixing what’s happened to him, all he minds about is having Yifan close to him, grounding him until he can breath right again. It brings him happiness.

His heart may be ruled by Yifan, however, Yifan’s now the one that comes when Yixing’ calls for him. And Yifan will be there when Yixing’s better again, he’s sure of it.


End file.
